


Selling Your Seoul

by MelanatedFics3812



Series: A SouliVerse Novel [3]
Category: K-pop, NCT (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band), WAYV
Genre: BlackGirlMagic, Comedy, F/F, F/M, LGBT, Love, Lovehate, M/M, Mentioned NCT Ensemble, Mentioned SEVENTEEN Ensemble, Mentioned WayV Ensemble, Pansexual, Romance, Seoul, blackwomen, friendswithbenefits, kpop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:01:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27652436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelanatedFics3812/pseuds/MelanatedFics3812
Summary: Three friends in their 20’s come together in the city of Seoul, South Korea, excited to start new paths in life. Zia, an award winning novelist has just been given a grant to pursue her new fiction series. Kira, a Korean Language major recently received another scholarship and an extension on her study abroad program. And Levy, newly arrived in the city, is eager to begin her job at the Korean branch of World News as a photographer. The three of them live in a home together owned by a strict middle aged woman who is a bit of a mystery.Just as they are adjusting to the changes, they each happen upon three individual men who alter their lives in unexpected ways.
Series: A SouliVerse Novel [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019958
Kudos: 2





	1. Trauma/Welcome to my Playground

**Author's Note:**

> A work by CoronaRaven

Prologue: Trauma

March

The protest didn’t seem to be letting up any time soon and the board members were starting to become concerned. They had issued several statements in the last few days about the baseless rumors but this time, the public really wasn’t hearing any of it. They had already made up their minds and they wanted the accused boys kicked from the group. The CEO looked over the edge of the balcony at the gathering below. They held signs with slogans of hatred and anger directed at the company and the boys. They held their lightsticks aloft, but none of them were turned on--symbolic of their determination to boycott if their demands weren’t met. The CEO turned to one of his nearby secretaries.

“How are they doing over at Big Hit?”

The secretary jabbed at his tablet a few times, pulling up a live feed from outside their parent company’s new building. “Much of the same, sir.” He turned the screen to show him a similar group of people, mostly young women, some silent in their anger, others in tears. 

“Hmmm, this is getting very--inconvenient. Where are WonWoo and Hansol?”

“At home, as you ordered, sir.”

“Text them. Let them know they may need to go live and reassure the fans. Or they can say goodbye to their careers.” 

Suddenly, the chatter in the crowd below grew to an unreasonable volume as everyone began to reach for their phones and gather around one another to watch whatever had caught their attention.

“Did something happen on the news? Perhaps we’ll get lucky with an assassination attempt…” The secretary began scrolling through his newsfeed, trying to see anything out of the ordinary. The CEO watched as his eyes widened along with his mouth. “Well, what is it?”

The secretary said nothing. Instead, he handed him the tablet, the Instagram app open. On the screen was a girl in her twenties with brown skin and short blonde curls. She wore a straight expression on her full face and even though she wasn’t now, it looked as if she had been crying. 

“Is this--This is one of the girls from the photos?”

“Yes, sir, the one being linked with WonWoo. Her account was deactivated for the last few days but it looks like she’s opened it back up to go live.”

The CEO of Pledis Entertainment turned back to the screen and increased the volume as he walked back inside to sit in his office.

“...and I’ll do my best to speak in Korean so please bear with me. I’ll explain later in English for international fans…”

“What does she think she’s doing?” the CEO said to himself. “Secretary Lu, didn’t you send her the NDA?”

“She refused to sign it, sir. We were in the process of acquiring her cooperation but it seems she’s decided to go another route…”

“The little…”

“...I know those photos hurt a lot of you.” The girl brushed away a tear but cleared her throat and powered through. “I know you may feel confused and angry. I’m still new to all this kpop stuff so I can’t say that I completely understand but I do know that there is pain there so who am I to condescend? And most of you all have been fans for so long, I think you deserve a better answer than what Pledis is willing to provide. 

“I mean, really? One line? ‘Jeon WonWoo (known mononymously as WonWoo) and Chwe Hansol (aka Vernon) are not in a relationship with nor do they plan to enter into a relationship with either of the women in the recently released photos…’ But you have been paying into this company and supporting these boys for so long, I feel you deserve to know the truth of it all. 

“So I’ll begin with what most of you have already figured out. My name is Levy and I am the woman in the photos with WonWoo. He and I met my first day in Korea. Almost 9 months ago…  
  
  
  


  
Chapter 1: Welcome to my Playground

Late July

Levy tried her best to not look like a tourist, but she couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at every little thing and she hadn’t even left the airport. 

She spun round in circles in an attempt to take everything in, tripping over her rolling luggage several times. She only got a few sideways looks but she expected to get much more once she got out on the streets. 

Her friends had already told her that they, as black women, were something of a novelty in Seoul and to try to not take it personal. Well, that’s what Kira had said. 

Zia was more likely to return people’s stares with a wide-eyed look of her own along with a remark like, “It aint a Zoo! Fucking hajima, bro, damn!” 

Levy really didn’t know how Z had already survived a year in South Korea with an attitude like hers. She also didn’t know how she herself expected to last in a country where her grasp of the language was rusty at best. Kira was the language expert and Zia had picked up all of the street lingo so hopefully between the two of them and her spotty memory she would at least be able to figure out modern formal speech. 

Just thinking of this challenge made her heart race. Everyone told her she was brave for leaving her home behind to work in Seoul but she very well couldn’t pass up the opportunity to travel, regardless of the possible language barriers. The wanderlust in her was too strong. It also helped that there was a new ex-boyfriend back in Chicago that she was all too happy to get away from.

“Yo, you can close your mouth, Lev,” came an amused voice from behind her. 

Levy spun around to see Kira, arms crossed over her chest, smirking at her best friend. Her long wavy hair was braided down her back, the fringe on her forehead blowing in the freezing AC of the airport. She wore a plaid corset-style shirt under a light denim jacket with black shorts. Zia was beside her, her hot pink afro of curls drawing more attention than anything else. She wore high waisted dark wash jeans and a cream chiffon cami showing off the tapestry of tattoos wrapping down her left arm. 

“You look like a fish outta water, Levy,” Zia said, grinning at her while simultaneously scowling at onlookers. 

“Shut up, both of you!” Levy laughed and ran to her friends, scooping them both up in a hug that crushed their necks but they endured. It had been too long since they’d been together. 

“Yes, yes, good to see you too,” Zia said, patting her back. “Now let's get out of here before I gotta give somebody the skibbity paps.” 

“The _what_ , Z?” Levy asked incredulously but Zia just grabbed her hand and led her out of the airport, Kira taking her rolling suitcase and following them. 

Levy tried not to gawk once they got outside but everything was just too beautiful. She thought that if the city of Incheon was this awe inspiring, she couldn’t wait to see what Seoul was like. Zia hailed a cab and they loaded Levy’s bags into the trunk before all cramming into the back seat. Kira gave the driver directions and they took off.

“So, how’s that asshat?” Zia asked congenially.

“Zia, you know they broke up.”

“Oh, I know. I just wanted to call him an asshat.”

“Amen!” Levy said and they high fived while Kira rolled her eyes between them.

“I told you not to move in with dude after just five months,” she said.

“I don’t like your tone, Kira,” Levy said, side eyeing her. “What about you? How’s _Mason_?”

Kira crossed her arms and looked away. “This how you greet me?”

“ _You_ started it!”

“Zia started it!”

“I missed this,” Zia said, sighing and leaning back into the seats causing the other two to laugh and do the same. 

  
  


After 30 minutes they entered the city limits of Seoul and Levy was even more mesmerized, the buildings stretching high over their heads as they rode through the city center. Zia and Kira pointed out all the places they wanted to take her to eat. They drove past the World News building where Levy would be starting work the next day. Her heart raced at the thought. She was nervous, excited, and scared all at once. 

“You’ll be fine,” Kira said quietly, reading her friend’s thoughts. 

“How do you know though?” Levy whined.

“Because you’re you. You always figure it out,” Zia said, shrugging like it was the most obvious answer. 

“You can stop right here, sir,” Kira said to the driver in perfect formal Korean. 

“Wait, here?” Levy looked out the window at the busy sidewalks. They were in some kind of shopping district. Not that she minded, but Levy assumed they were going to the house so she could unpack.

“I got called into work for a few hours right before your flight got in so you guys are gonna hang around here. My university isn’t too far. That’s cool, right?”

“Absolutely,” Levy said, already eyeing a black dress in a window. 

They filed out of the car and got Levy’s one suitcase and duffle bag. She was happy she had packed light for once, having sent the rest of her stuff ahead two weeks ago. Kira dipped back into the cab, hurriedly giving him the address of her school, and left. 

Levy and Zia walked from store to store, laughing and making jokes as though they hadn’t been apart for over a year, falling into their old patterns easily. They tried on several dresses, Levy buying the black one she had first seen and a cute red top with small yellow flowers for work the next day. As she was checking out, Levy caught Zia staring at her.

“What you lookin at me like that for?”

“You really cut all your hair off.” 

Levy self-consciously ran a hand over her short, tight, blonde coils. It was just long enough to part but the sides and back were shaved down close to her scalp. “You knew this, Zia,” she said, paying the cashier and rolling her eyes at her friend. 

“I know and I know we’ve video called like a bunch but--your locs were _so_ long. You grew them for years. What made you--”

“I just needed something new.”

“And moving to a country on the other side of the world wasn’t enough?”

Levy shrugged. “It was a start.” She grabbed her purchase and turned toward the door.

“I’m just saying. It looks good.”

“Oooh, gaaaay.”

“One hundred percent.”

“Is it? You’re pan so... how would that be divided?”

“Can you shut up?”

“Damn! I was just being curious!”

“You make my head hurt!”

The two of them made their way down the street and as minutes turned to hours they grew hungry but they had already planned on ordering pizza at home so Zia pulled Levy into a busy cafe. They waited for a few minutes before they saw a table open up and they swooped in to take it. 

“Okay, you stay here and I’ll go order some drinks and donuts or something,” Zia said, handing Levy her bags. 

Levy watched her battle through the crowd to find the end of the line and stare up at the menu which Levy herself could barely make out. She turned and unzipped her duffle, pulling out her smaller camera bag. She opened that and examined her Canon, ensuring that it was free of any damage before turning it on and looking around the shop through the viewfinder. The cafe was themed in red and yellow and it reminded Levy of Gold Coast Dogs back home, making her even hungrier and nostalgic for simpler times--back when she ate meat. But she couldn’t say that she missed home. Not just yet. 

A bus boy cleared a table a few feet away, headphones strapped over his head, bobbing furiously to the music in his ears. His lips moved without sound but it looked like he was beatboxing under his breath as he picked up mugs and wiped down the table. Levy raised her camera and focused on his hands quickly gathering up trash and dishes and snapped a few photos before turning back to the window and watching the passerby. Everything moved so quickly here. City life was something she was used to so she hoped it wouldn’t be too difficult of an adjustment. She leaned her chin in her hand and waited for Zia to return, her heart rate slowly climbing as she thought about what the next day would bring.

“Delete it.”

The voice had come from behind her. Levy turned to find a young man standing over her table dressed in all black from his sunglasses and face mask to his Converse. Another boy stood beside him dressed in similar fashion except he wore a bright yellow beanie and a red Chicago Bulls windbreaker over light denim shorts, but his face was hidden as well. 

The boy in the Bulls jacket grabbed the other’s arm. “Hyung, come on. Just leave it,” he whispered in Korean that levy barely caught.

His hyung snatched his arm back and leaned forward on the table, bringing his face closer to Levy’s. “I said, ‘Delete it.’ While I’m asking nicely,” he said, speaking slowly.

Levy stared at him in confusion. She had thought she followed his Korean but nothing he said had made any sense to her.

“Do you speak Korean?” asked the other boy in perfect English.

“Yes,” she replied in Hangul. “But I don’t--”

“Then just delete it and I won’t have to sue you!” said the first man, becoming even more agitated as he switched to English. “I’m so sick of you people.”

“ _You people?_ What are you talking about? Back the fuck up, please.” She scooted the chair back and stood up so she didn’t feel so boxed in by him. He stood straight as well and she was annoyed to see her head was barely the same height as his chest. 

“How long are you going to follow me today?” he continued. “How many pictures did you get this time?” He reached for the camera in her hands and she snatched it away, prepared to fight over her most prized possession.

Just then Zia slid in between them, a tray of drinks and snacks in her hands. She swiftly placed it on the table and looked the two men up and down. They stepped back, surprised by her sudden entrance. 

“I _know_ you’re not getting aggressive with my friend in the middle of a crowded cafe, are you?” she asked, her voice louder than it needed to be. A few people turned around and stared, causing the two men to look uncomfortable. 

The man in black cleared his throat and said, “I just want her to delete the pictures that she took of me.”

“I didn’t take pictures of you! I _didn’t_ take pictures of him, Zia.”

“Well she said she ain’t take pictures of you, my guy,” Zia responded, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow.

“Why would I take pictures of you anyway?” Levy asked peering at him around Zia.

The man in black leaned forward a bit, wary of watching eyes, and removed his sunglasses and pulled his mask down a bit so they could see his face.

_Dammit,_ Levy thought, _he’s handsome. He’s_ really _handsome._ He looked like an actor from one of the Korean dramas they would binge, his face completely symmetrical. His eyes were dark but the charming shape of them made Levy think that when he smiled they probably crinkled at the edges. The bridge of his nose was long and straight and his lips looked soft and plump without them being too big for his face. 

“You don’t know me?”

Levy shook her head and looked at Zia who shrugged. “Not at all, K-bro. Sorry to disappoint you.”

He replaced his glasses and mask and looked away from them, stuffing his hands in his pockets before walking off through the crowd and out of the shop.

“Sorry about him,” said the boy in the yellow beanie, bowing his head slightly. “He’s not good at admitting when he’s wrong.” He started to leave but then turned back to Levy. “Can I ask--what did you take a picture of?”

Levy stepped around Zia, holding her camera and brought up the pictures of the bus boy. “See?” 

He lowered his sunglasses a bit and looked carefully at the photos. “Oh. Hyung is in the picture. Right here, see?” He pointed at a blurred person in the foreground of the photo. “Not that anyone could tell it’s him,” he said rolling his eyes and readjusting his shades. “Again, I’m sorry about him. You guys have a good day.” He gave Zia a once over and quickly left to catch up with his friend.

Zia immediately turned to Levy. “You been in the country for 3 hours and you already up to some shit.”

“I didn’t even do anything!”

“Got my anxiety going all haywire! Let’s take this to go. We’ll meet Kira at home. Damn delinquent,” she muttered, gathering up their drinks and tossing croissants and cakes at Levy.

“Me?! You for real? Who got escorted out of Walmart?”

“Hush up.”

“Mmhm.” Levy rolled her eyes and followed Zia out, hailing a cab once they were on the street. 


	2. Regular

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas/Xuxi is running from a crowd of crazed fans when he happens upon Kira Moon and after hearing her voice, he knows he has to work with her...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A work by CoronaRaven

Chapter Two: Regular

Xuxi rounded the corner and pressed his back up against the wall. A few moments later, four girls came rushing by, their phones held aloft as their searching eyes scanned the area for him. Xuxi prayed they didn’t turn around but things just weren’t working in his favor today. It only took one of them to glance over her shoulder and see him hidden in the shadows. He took off again, down the alley jumping over boxes and overturned trash bins. The girls called out for him but he didn’t look back as he rushed through crowds of people, hoping that somebody tripped or fell and slowed the progress of the sasaengs. 

He was vaguely aware of where he was going but he remembered that if he continued on this path, there might be a school up ahead. After three more minutes, his theory was proven true as he entered onto a sprawling college campus comprising a wide yard, often enjoyed by students on break. It was surrounded by several buildings, none of which Xuxi knew the function of but he began to slow down as he came closer to them. The sasaengs had fallen some ways behind him and he didn’t want to draw any more attention to himself. He pushed the Ray Bans up his nose and hunched his shoulders, his red t-shirt and black shorts only giving him a minimal disguise as he entered the building closest to him. He walked into a bright and airy lobby, silver escalators humming as students went up and down from the upper level. 

Xuxi followed them, glancing over his shoulders every few seconds. He didn’t know where he was going; he just let his feet carry him as far away from those wild fans as he could. He stepped off of the escalator and followed a group of students to the left. They didn’t notice him as they quietly chattered amongst themselves and when they walked through a set of automatic glass double doors, Xuxi found himself in a place where he hadn’t spent time in a while: a library. 

A hush immediately fell over the students ahead of him and they began searching through the stacks for a table or an empty study room. Xuxi parted ways with them when they found a table and he spotted some stairs off in the corner that went up to yet another level. Xuxi quickly made his way upstairs as he was feeling his luck running out. Sure enough, once he made it to the second floor of the library, he turned to see the four girls standing at the entrance to the library. A front desk attendant who Xuxi hadn’t noticed before was asking them for student ID as they scanned the room for him but they ultimately left, unable to produce identification. 

Xuxi bent over, his hands on his knees and let out a big sigh ending in a chuckle. Every time he went out without his staff, he knew he risked being chased by crazed fans but he had been lucky enough to not have experienced it until now. He had just been taking a walk after having a frustrating session in the recording studio not far from here. The producer just wasn’t listening to him--which he couldn’t understand seeing as they were working on  _ his  _ album. No matter what he said, Xuxi’s input wasn’t being considered. He couldn’t tell if the guy thought he was too young to know what he wanted or just stupid. Either assumption pissed him off. So he had said he needed some air after arguing for hours and unfortunately he had been recognized. 

Xuxi stood back up and looked around him. He was in a long white hall and he could hear the hum of computers coming from the rooms on either side. He walked a ways down and saw one room filled with computers and students hunched over, either typing furiously or staring at the screen in a stupor. He continued on, his hands in his pockets. He hoped he could find some empty storage room to relax in until he felt the coast was clear. He really didn’t want to have to call his manager and bodyguard. 

He passed two other labs, both full and as he wandered to the end of the hall, a sweet lilting song began to make its way out to him. Xuxi took off his glasses--as if that would help him hear better-and he rounded the corner finding another smaller hallway, this time with just one room on the left. He peered inside, careful to not be seen, and saw a woman walking down the rows of computers, turning off each one individually. The most beautiful voice was coming from her, softly hitting high falsetto notes but then dropping down into a sultry alto. Wherever the song took her, she went. 

Xuxi watched her as she made her way, smiling to herself when a note sounded particularly good. Her smile was gorgeous, bright white teeth in stark comparison to her darkest brown skin. She wore a jean jacket hanging from her shoulders to show bare skin beneath a plaid tank top. She spun around happily and Xuxi saw she wore short distressed black shorts, her long legs shining in the fluorescent lights above. She began to dance and Xuxi was shocked to find that she was kind of awful. He couldn’t stop the laugh that came out of his mouth before she heard, turning around to glare at the doorway. He stepped into view, his hands raised.

“Sorry, I--”

“Who are you?”

“You don’t know me?”

She looked him up and down, crossing her hands over her chest. “This lab is closed. The others are open for another hour but they might be full at this--”

“Oh no, I--I don’t need a computer.”

“Then why are you here?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

“I--uh…” he scratched his head and looked around nervously realizing how weird he looked. He stepped inside and closed the door, walking further into the room. She began to look around, fear etched across her face and Xuxi realized again what he’d done wrong. “Oh! No! I’m not--uh--”

“Listen, dude, back the fuck up. Right now.” 

Xuxi stopped in his tracks and raised his hands at shoulder level again. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m sorry for scaring you, I’m just not trying to be seen right now. You don’t know me?” he asked again, cocking his head to the side. “I’m kind of a big deal,” he mused. His hands still raised, he looked down at the floor and then looked up through half-lidded eyes and smirked.

“Wh-what are you doing? What is this? Are you having a stroke?” she asked, her hand on her hip and gesturing to his figure with the other one. “Why are you standing like this?”

Xuxi dropped his hands in disappointment. “You really don’t--Okay, forget it, never mind,” he said, shaking his head. “I came in here because I heard you singing. It was amazing. Are you a music student here?”

“No. I’m a Korean Language major.”

“Oh, ni--”

“With a minor in Linguistics. I also speak fluent Cantonese, Portugese, and Spanish.”

“W--” Xuxi took a long blink, blown away by her ability. “Wow. And your Korean pronunciation is better than mine.”

She grinned and looked away. “I know.” She turned around and walked behind the desk in the corner of the room. He realized she was the lab monitor. She straightened up the area, throwing out her trash and putting the sign in sheets in a basket labeled ‘Out’ in Hangul. “And what are you majoring in, Mr…?”

“Oh. I’m not a student. But if I were I would be a music major.”

“Oh,” she said, understanding dawning on her. “You like to play with music.”

“ _ Play with? _ No, I don’t  _ play _ with music. It’s my lifeblood.”

She raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Oh so it’s big deep,” she said, blending her Korean with English slang.

“‘Big de--’ Your words are very confusing.”

She covered her smirk with her hand and reached down to pick her bag up from the floor. “It means something is really serious. That’s all.”

“So then your voice is ‘big deep’,” he said. When she looked back at him, he had a huge boyish grin on his face, clearly proud of how he utilized the word. It was the most adorable, puppy-like thing she had ever seen, his bright eyes huge and round, the brown seeming to sparkle. She cinched her brows in confusion. He was a walking contradiction of a man.

“Um, I mean yeah, but using it in that way makes it sound...like you’re saying I have a very deep voice.”

“Oh. Yeah,” he said, tipping his head to the side in realization. “Anyway. I wanted to say, we should work together.”

“What?”

“See, I’m doing this--”

A shrill ringing tore through the room and they both jumped at the sound. She cursed under her breath and reached into her bag producing her phone. Xuxi realized the ringtone was just someone screaming in a very high pitch, “Pick up ya damn phone, girl!” over and over again. She angrily slid her finger up on the screen and brought it to her ear.

“Zia, will you please stop changing your ringtone--and then setting it to override the silent feature! … What? I thought you guys were going to wait for me at the-- ...An incident? She’s been in Korea for FOUR HOURS, bro! I--” She started heading for the door, stepping around Xuxi and slightly inclining her head to him as she passed. She stepped out into the hall, still carrying on a conversation that Xuxi couldn’t follow, and she turned and waved him out the room.

He did as he was told, stepping into the hall with her. She locked the door and spun around to face him, placing a hand over the receiver of her phone. “I really have to go. Best friend emergency. It was … weird meeting you, dude.” She gave him a thumbs up and took off down the hall. 

Xuxi was frozen in place, too stunned to run after her. He hadn’t had an interaction with a woman who didn’t recognize him in  _ years _ . It was jarring to say the least. But the fact that she seemed fully and completely uninterested in him had him completely aghast. He was a goddam model! But what was worse--and what he had just realized--was that he didn’t even get her to agree to be on his album. She had the perfect voice for his song. 

Finally, he replaced his sunglasses on his face and willed his feet to move. He ran down the long hall and at the top of the stairs, he saw her quietly but quickly making her way across the library, towards the exit.

“Wait!” he called out, causing everyone in the building to turn and look at him, some wore a scowl, while others looked simply curious, but many of the girls began whispering to one another. They might not have recognized him but it wasn’t hard to tell he was tall and attractive. But she didn’t even look back. 

He tucked his chin down and followed after her, making his way down the stairs and across the main floor. By time he made it to the front desk, he knew he might’ve lost her. His long legs would carry him far and fast but just in case he paused to speak to the attendant, a young man who could either be student or professor.

“Excuse me,” Xuxi said, swallowing to catch his breath. The attendant looked highly agitated with him since earlier. “Do you know her, the girl who just left? With the braid down her back?”

“The black girl?”

Xuxi paused to give the man an incredulous look. “Is that the only thing you notice about your coworker?”

“I barely notice her,” the attendant said, rolling his eyes. “I guess she works here a few days a week. I don’t know her name.”

Xuxi glared at the man. He then looked down at the desk in front of him and spotted a light blue disposable face mask sealed in plastic. “Can I have this?” he asked, already reaching for it before the attendant could even say ‘No’. 

Xuxi exited the library, ripping open the plastic, and as he jogged down the escalator, he wrapped the mask from ear to ear and ran out the building into the coming night. He spun around looking for any sign of her but the campus was almost empty with everybody either gone home for the evening or inside studying. He ran to the nearest city street but if she had been anywhere nearby, the crowds had swallowed her.

  
  



	3. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls enjoy their first night at home together and talk about their ambitions for the future
> 
> A Work by CoronaRaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. Haven't been feeling up to editing >< promise I'll be better from now on!

Chapter Three: Coming Home

Kira yelled for her friends as she rounded the corner and their house came into sight. Levy and Zia walked down the street to meet her, taking some of the bags from her hands. 

“How much somaek do you think we’re going to make?” Zia exclaimed, making a big show of the bag dragging her down when she grabbed it from Kira.

“Oh be quiet. It’s not even that much. This will barely get Levy and me fucked up.”

“Alcoholics, both uh ya,” but Zia tossed the bag over her shoulder and walked back up to the house, stepping aside to let Kira--the only one with a key--open the front door.

“I really don’t understand how the hell you left your keys,” Kira said, walking into the house. “They are literally in the same spot by the door every day.”

“You sound hella judgey right now. I don’t deserve this,” Zia said, kicking off her shoes before brushing past Kira to the kitchen. 

Kira rolled her eyes and took off her shoes. She turned around to see Levy who was easing into the house, step by step, neck achingly slow. She looked around the room in bright eyed awe, a huge smile spreading across her face.

“Hey, Lev, maybe if you try hard enough, a sun-kissed glow will backlight you,” Kira said, completely monotone. “Can you close the door? Are you done with your kdrama moment now?”

Levy smacked her lips and let the door shut. “Yeah I am, now that you ruined it, asshole. You hate me.”

“Whatever, little girl, welcome home,” Kira said, taking her suitcase and carrying it into the living room to the left. 

Zia grabbed the wall and swung through the doorway, gliding around into the living room from the kitchen, all the while singing, “Welcome hoooome.” 

Levy stepped up from the shoe area and into the main house, turning around as though there was much more to see. Straight ahead was a doorway that opened up into the kitchen, a simple one with white cabinets and grey countertops, a double sink and all necessary appliances such as a fridge and stove and a microwave atop a shelf. Levy spotted her air fryer on the counter and gave her friends a knowing look. 

They just shrugged and ushered her through the kitchen and to another doorway that led to a dining space with a table and four chairs that looked barely used. They continued around and were back in the living room which you can see from the front door. It was a small first level but had all the basic necessities of an American in South Korea. Beyond the dining space were glass double doors that led out onto an enclosed patio where the washer was located. Levy noticed there was no dryer and internally sighed. Her Western habits would die hard. 

“Is it to your liking, your majesty?” Zia asked, holding her arms open wide at the room.

“Shut up,” Levy said. “I can handle a little inconvenience.

“Uh-huh.”

“Did you notice the lack of dishwasher?” Kira said, smirking.

“What? Oh  _ no _ .” 

The two girls laughed at her and dragged her up the stairs that were off of the living room. After two flights they were on the second floor. It opened up to a common area where Zia and Kira pretended to do yoga but really just ended up listening to music and complaining about their jobs before going down to breakfast three days a week. There was a doorway immediately to the left and another straight ahead.

“Straight ahead is the bathroom. Left is my room, as you well know from video calls,” Zia said, dragging her to the right. “And no, there is no bath. That’s Kira’s room,” she said, passing a door to the right of the bathroom. “And this is yours,” she said stopping at a door on the right end of the house. “It’s kinda smallish but at least it has a closet.”

She kicked the door open and Levy entered, the others lagging behind her. The first thing Levy noticed was the rest of her bags sitting on the full-sized bed to her right along with 5 boxes stacked up against the window across from the door, blocking out the last of the evening sunlight. There was a short, long dresser to her left and beside that, a body-length mirror was tacked on the back of a door which Levy assumed was the closet. The walls were a soft lavender and it smelled lightly of moth balls. 

Levy turned to face Kira and Zia who were standing on either side of her doorway, peering into the room and waiting for her verdict.

Levy clasped her hands together and lit up. “I love it,” she gushed and did an awkward jig.

“Yay!” Kira said, giving her a small smile. 

“Can’t believe you’re finally here, dude,” Zia said, stepping into the room and leaning against the dresser. “I been trying to get you both out here for a year now. And finally--”

“The boys are back again,” Levy sang, continuing her awkward dance.

“Imma block you.”

“Can’t do that anymore. We’re roommates,” Levy squealed, throwing her arms around Zia’s neck.

“Eeew, human contact. Imma melt,” Zia whined, prying Levy’s hands from around her like she was dying. 

“Why are y’all like this?” Kira said, turning away and shaking her head. “I’m gonna shower first.”

“Dammit, I wanted to.”

“Should’ve called it,” Kira said, shrugging and disappearing into her room.

“You can go before me, Z. I’m going to unpack some.”

“Party. I need a snack first though.” She took off out of the room but paused in the Yoga area and turned back. “Oh, so after we shower, Somaek and Movies.”

“Sounds good,” Levy said, waving her off.

***

Levy stood back and looked at her room. She had hung up some posters including a big framed one of Seo InGuk she’d made herself and two others, one with all members of Dreamcatcher and the other with her main bias of the group, Dami. There was a picture of Levy, her brother, and her parents on the nightstand beside her bed on which she’d put her freshly bought pure white satin sheets. She had unpacked all of her clothes and shoes, putting them neatly in the drawer and closet.

“Levy, get a move on!” Zia shouted from the main floor.

“I’m coming!” Levy grabbed her shower things from the top of the dresser and dashed into the bathroom.

Her shower was as quick as she could be after figuring out how to work it and after oiling up and spraying some perfume she slipped into loose cotton pants and a white v neck tee before meeting Kira and Zia downstairs. The pizza had already arrived and they were eating it straight out of the boxes, splayed out on the coffee table before the couches. Levy jumped into a chair and grabbed a huge slice of cheese pizza after confirming it didn’t have any meat. The others pressed play on a scary movie and they settled in for the night.

They spent the next two hours screaming and laughing at one another, talking shit about the movie and stuffing themselves on pizza. Halfway through, Zia went into the kitchen and brought the now-cold soju and beer, pouring three shots of the former and three glasses of the latter. She then dropped the shots into the glasses and urged them to drink right away. They did as they were told, taking the somaek to the head, before demanding Zia make them more. Zia shook her head, always amazed and ashamed by her friends’ high tolerance to alcohol but she made another round and another after they went through the second. By time the movie was over they were all tipsy, giggling and reminiscing.

“That movie was goofy.”

“I didn’t think it was that bad,” responded Zia.

“It was an attempt,” Kira laughed, her hand covering her mouth.

“Okay, now that’s over--let’s talk, y'all! I feel like that long flight over made me miss a chunk of your lives,” Levy whined. “What’s going on? Any update on your green light, Zia?”

Zia sipped her drink and smiled slyly. “Oh they gave me the go ahead last night. I’ve been cleared for whatever I need to write this new series.”

Kira and Levy cheered and clinked their glasses. “Geonbae,” Levy mumbled before throwing back the rest of her drink.

“Don’t you think you should slow down, Lev? You got your first day tomorrow.”

“Oh I doubt they’ll even let me outside the office tomorrow. Besides, I’m 23,” Levy reminded them. “I’ll still bounce back easy. Now when I turn 24…” she said, gritting her teeth.

Zia threw a pillow at her head. “Oh, yes, I’m just so old and decrepit at one year older than you,” she said rolling her eyes.

Levy caught the pillow and hugged it to her chest while laughing. “What about you, Kir? I was serious when I asked about Mason earlier.”

“Oh, we’re good. I’m just, uh, ignoring his calls, barely answering his texts and praying that he gets wise and breaks up with me first.” She threw her drink back and smiled at her friends who were not amused.

“Kira, come on, just end it with the dude. You were always arguing before you left--over the pettiest things--and now you feel this way thousands of miles away. Just break up with him,” Levy said, exasperated with her friend. “Do you know how many times I fell in love today? At least 14. I saw that many love-at-first-sight worthy dudes just today! How have you  _ not _ cheated on Mason yet?”

“Not everybody can be a hoe like you, Lev,” Zia mumbled.

“I am  _ not _ \--and if I was...” Levy shrugged. “But in all seriousness, Kira, I just want you to be happy, man. And you’re miserable just thinking of him.”

“It gives me bubble guts,” Kira whined. “He’s family, y’all. He’s the only family I’ve ever known.”

“That was before us,” Zia said, tossing yet another pillow at Kira. “We’re your family now too. You won’t be alone.”

“I know,” Kira moaned, holding out her glass to Zia.

Zia rolled her eyes and poured her another drink. “And, Levy, do you plan on seeing your grandfather this weekend?” After a few moments when Levy didn’t answer, Zia turned to look at her. Levy was examining her drink as if she could find the answers to life at the bottom of the glass. “Gir--I know you heard me.”

“Mmmm--my grandfather might not know I’m here.”

“ _ What _ ?” Kira and Zia both yelled, their jaws dropping. 

“Levy, when do you plan on telling him?” Kira asked. 

Levy shrugged, swirling the liquid in her glass.

“How does he not know?”

“I didn’t really tell any family on his side about me coming here? Also he’s traveling all the time so he--”

“He’s going to find out,” Zia said.

“He’s definitely going to find out,” Kira agreed.

“Well, let me worry about that when it happens,” Levy snapped, tossing back the rest of her drink before holding the cup out to Zia who rolled her eyes but acquiesced. 

They all had full glasses now and when Kira looked at the time she said it would be her last. “I start my new job at the school Monday but I have to go up there early tomorrow to fill out paperwork.”

Zia held her glass up over the coffee table and said, with dramatic clarity, “A toast, my dears. To new countries, new jobs, new loves, new projects, and new lives.”

“Fall is coming,” Levy added. “It’s a season of transition. Let’s be excited for whatever it brings.”

“It’s about to be lit,” Kira declared, raising her glass to meet the others. 

“Geonbae!” they shouted before taking long drags, sleep coming for all of them shortly after.


	4. BOOM BOOM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levy attends her first day at work and receives a shock while on assignment.
> 
> A Work by CoronaRaven

Chapter Four: BOOM BOOM

Levy stood outside the World News building, the coffee in her hand probably cold since she made it three hours ago when she’d woken up way too early. She looked up at the dozens of floors, the shining blue glass almost blinding in the morning sunlight. People walked around her and into the building, thinking nothing of the job that they went to everyday, but for Levy this was the beginning of her dream. This is what was going to jumpstart her into photojournalism. This was where she would make her name. 

She straightened out her new red shirt again and checked that the small buttons were all perfectly clasped so as not to show too much skin. Her high rise light wash jeans were cleaned and pressed to within an inch of their life, cuffed at the ankles just above her pale yellow lace up Keds. The look was neat enough to say, “I’m a full grown adult and can pay a bill” but just casual enough to say “I’m serious about this job but I am also a creative young person”. At least that’s what Levy thought but it was really too late to turn back now. 

She smoothed her short cut coils, pointless since they popped back into place, and marched into the building, her camera bag tucked neatly by her side. 

She carefully stepped through the sliding doors, quick enough to avoid people running into her but slow enough to soak up the moment. Straight ahead were the ID scanners that people casually walked through, flashing that ID that was like gold to salaried workers. Beyond that checkpoint were silver plated elevators, dinging whenever they reached the bottom floor and their doors slid silently open. 

Levy made her way to the security desk, all the while staring up at the high ceilings of the lobby, beautiful modern chandeliers hanging. 

“How can I help you?” someone asked her in Korean. 

Levy snapped her head back to the desk where a female security guard was watching her curiously, her hair tucked at the base of her neck in a neat bun. “Oh, annyeonghaseyo,” Levy greeted with a small, quick bow. “I’m a new employee for the entertainment division. Levy Carlisle?”

The guard nodded and gave her a friendly smile. “Yes, they told us they had a new employee coming this morning. Follow me and we’ll get your ID situated right away, ma’am.” 

Levy followed her through a door behind the desk. It was a small room with just a simple digital camera hooked up to a computer on a small desk. A wireless printer sat in the corner. Levy stood against the wall and had her picture taken. The guard then handed her a paper ID, explaining that it would be temporary until her permanent ID was ready in a few days and they stepped back out into the busy lobby. 

The guard waved her through the checkpoint and Levy made her way to the elevators, queing up with the ever growing crowds. Several elevators came and went but Levy finally got into one on her fourth try, rubbing elbows with other employees who didn’t look at all bothered by their personal space being invaded by strangers. Levy was barely holding it together, her claustrophobia flaring up, but she kept herself in check by thinking how awful it would be to have a panic attack on her first day on the job. 

Levy did notice the sidelong looks she was getting from people but nobody was too bold so she let it slide. She wasn’t the only non-Korean at World News either. From the employee page on the website, she saw there was a fair handful of black people, American and otherwise, and plenty of people from all corners of the world including India, Brazil, and Scotland. It was really a huge melting pot which definitely was a factor in her choosing to apply for the position. 

Levy squeezed off the elevator on the seventh floor along with three other people. She followed them down a hall that ended in one long glass wall beyond which was a huge room filled with white and silver cubicles. People were already moving back and forth from desk to desk, chattering away, papers and tablets in hand. News never stopped.

The people ahead of her pushed through a pair of double doors and Levy dipped in after them, barely noticed by anyone as they were already consumed with their work before others had even clocked in. The ceilings in the room were high as well and there were windows high up, washing the place in the beautiful morning glow, but the walls were plastered with old stories, names and faces, some of which Levy recognized. She had been following the stories that World News produced all of her life so some of them she even had memorized. 

But one that was new to her was a headline that took up a big chunk of the wall. Levy squinted and made out the words “Exclusive: Idol Royale Dating Scandal”. It sounded vaguely familiar but Levy couldn’t quite remember the details. 

“Are you supposed to be here?” someone asked her in English, a rude tone dripping from every syllable. Levy turned to face a tall hispanic man, his jaw chiseled by the gods. His black curly hair, gray at the temples, was pulled back in a thin headband, causing his bright blue eyes to pop out at her, intimidating and pretty all at once.

“Oh, hi, I’m the new employee? Levy Carlisle, sir. I’m supposed to be--”

“Carlisle! Yes of course,” he said brightly, his tone suddenly changing. “You’re right on time. I like that in a worker. Guess I’m your boss. Eddie Merit, just call me Eddie please.” He held out his hand to her and she had barely shaken it before he let go and started talking again. “It’s been really busy here, as you can see. We got a  _ lot _ of attention after our last big break,” he said gesturing to the article on the wall about Idol Royale. “But that means the world is watching us now. So we can only produce the best of the best. Walk with me.” And he took off across the floor before Levy could even comprehend what had been said. She followed after him as quickly as she could. He was walking with some force and a breeze blew in his wake, sending the smell of cigarettes and flowers back to her. “Okay so over here, here, and here we got your writers. They can write up whatever you want,” Eddie said, blowing past a set of cubicles and gesturing to all the people there. “Here we have our correspondents and reporters--the cool kids if you will,” he said with a roll of his eye. A few people looked up and smirked at him before returning to their jobs. 

“Waaaay up there is editing. There’s the sub-editors and then there’s me and two others who you will answer to--Felecia Kwon and Han KeoHyun.” He sighed a bit on that last name and Levy smiled, sensing something more than a working relationship. “KeoHyun is kind of quiet but that’s just because he’s observant so don’t be intimidated by him. Kwon though, feel free to be absolutely terrified of her. Fantastic at her job--awful with people. Just...do your best. Now!” He said loudly, clapping his hands and making Levy jump and look around. No one else was phased though. “Let me show you to where you will be seated.” 

He spun around and made his way back near the entrance of the room, to the left of which was a smattering of cubicles, and Levy knew instantly it was where she belonged. There were about seven people already there but a few desks were empty. They were all either looking through viewfinders on cameras or deep into their laptops, editing photos. This was her tribe.

“Hello, my lovely Snap Dancers!” Eddie greeted, causing them all to look up, either mildly annoyed or vaguely interested. “I have a new baby for you. This is Levi--”

“Levy.”

“--Levy Carlisle. She’s new from…”

“Oh. Chicago.”

“Oooh Chi-Town, nice. Yes, anyway, she is a new photo slash videographer so clean up that desk for her please, Rhoda--you’re things are always getting everywhere,” he said, scowling at a white girl with purple highlighted hair and heavy black eye makeup. She rolled her eyes but got up from her cubicle and started cleaning the other one out. “So, you can get comfortable there and the morning meeting will begin in about…” he glanced at his watch. “Fifteen. Hear that everyone?” he shouted to the whole floor. “Morning meeting in fifteen! Get--It--To--Geth--Er--Peo--Ple!” he said, enunciating each word with the snap of his fingers. “Okay, Levy, you get settled here. I’ll see you all in a bit. Take care of her, kids.” And he walked away, disappearing just as quickly as he had come.

“Okay, Thank--you?” Levy went to say but he was long gone. She turned back to the other photographers and saw them all watching her, looking much friendlier than before. Even Rhoda had erased the scowl from her face and was looking at her with neutral eyes. 

“Hey, what was your name again?” she asked in a thick accent Levy could not place. She dumped some things onto her desk--several Marvel POP! Figures and two cat shaped mugs.

“Levy,” she answered, making her way past them to her new desk at the end.

“You American too? Squad,” said a man at the cubicle directly behind her. “I’m Axle, from Utah,” he said, obviously disgusted at his own roots. Upon first glance, he looked like another Caucasian boy but looking closer it was possible he was mixed with something. His brassy blonde hair was pulled back in a long ponytail at the base of his neck and his green eyes smiled at her when she couldn’t see his lips through his scruffy beard.

Levy returned the smile and said, “Good to meet you.”

“You’ll get to know us all eventually,” Rhoda said, rearranging her desk. “Sometimes we work together, sometimes solo, sometimes we’re loaned out to other departments. Now that you’re here, you’ll probably have to do that more than the rest of us. Sorry. Being the newbie sucks.”

“I can be flexible,” Levy said, shrugging and setting her camera bag on the desk.

“You brought your own? You know the company gives us gear to work with,” said Axle, leaning forward as she opened the bag, curious to know what model she had.

“Yeah but I don’t go anywhere without her. I don’t mind if I have to carry more because of it. She sticks with me,” Levy said, gingerly cradling her precious baby, looking it once over to ensure there was no damage in the short trip. 

“Nice,” commented a russet skinned man, sitting nearer to the doors. He barely looked up though, his red eyes fixed on his computer screen.

“That’s Tomo,” Rhoda said. “He’s got a deadline,” she whispered.

Levy talked a bit more to Rhoda and Axle, learning small things about the office. They confirmed what Eddie had said about the other two editors but Levy wasn’t too worried. People always liked her, especially those that she worked with. She couldn’t imagine having a problem with anyone too soon.

"But Eddie's not all sunshine and rainbows either,. He's just the most personable." Axle said. "You know why he calls us Snap Dancers? Has nothing to do with snapping pictures."

Rhoda sighed and said, "It's because he thinks when he snaps his fingers we're supposed to dance to his beat."

Fifteen minutes passed easily and a sound like a musical bell shrilled through the room, bringing everyone to their feet. They all began to move toward the center of the room and Levy followed without a word. Everyone gathered between all the desks and cubicles, leaving a circle of open space so that they could all see one another--mostly.

Eddie stood at the head of the circle, directly across from Levy and called everyone to order. He was flanked by two people, a man and woman, who Levy assumed were Felicia and KeoHyun. KeoHyun looked young and kind, his black square-framed glasses pushed high up his nose and yet he still squinted as he looked at everyone, but a friendly smile was firmly in place. Felicia on the other hand looked severe, her sharp eyes scanning the room in scrutiny. Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun atop her head and her red lips were pursed as if something highly unpleasant was in the room. Levy thought she resembled a snake.

“Okay, everyone, listen up so we can make this quick,” Eddie called, snapping his fingers to bring order to an already silent room. “It’s a very busy day today. Korea’s Got Talent starts today so I know half of us are busy covering the contestants and the first live show. Does anyone have any questions about that? No? Good. Now, in the theater section, JinWoo, you’re viewing Anastasia today, correct? I expect a beautiful review on my desk by tomorrow morning. And Lana, you…”

And it went on like that for a few minutes, Eddie checking in with everyone and their stories. Everybody seemed so efficient and sure of themselves. It seemed to make his job very easy. The other two editors barely said anything.

“...And last, but perhaps not least, Shohei, how’s the Kpop sector going? Not much there today, I’m afraid,” Eddie said, sounding highly annoyed.

“I have an interview with WonWoo of Seventeen today. You know he’s about to star in that new drama from the creators of the Reply series?” A tall man with a sharp jawline and narrow face stepped forward through the throng of people, flashing a smile at Felicia which went unreturned. His dark hair was short and messy like he’d just rolled out of bed but the perpetual grin he wore let everyone know that he knew he was handsome enough to pull off anything. He wore a maroon button up beneath a blue linen jacket and tan chinos. “I’ll be meeting him at an on set rehearsal during break. I know it’s last minute but Pledis just came through with the okay. Could you spare a photographer? I take shit pictures as you all know.”

A light ripple of laughter went through the room but Eddie looked unamused. “I’m afraid all of our photographers are on assignment today, Shohei. Really, does Pledis have no care for a little thing called decorum?”

Levy fought with herself for an instant but ultimately stepped forward, raising her fist in the air. “Eddie, sir, I haven’t been assigned anything yet. Or did you have something else in mind for me today?”

“Oh, Levi--”

“Levy.”

“--Right, Levy! I didn’t expect you to do much on your first day. I expect you to relax, settle in, get the lay of the land.”

“Yeah, no offense, sir, but I don’t do relaxing well. I’d rather be working. If Shohei here needs a hand and a camera I’d be more than willing to provide that.” Levy shot Shohei a glance and she saw that he was watching her carefully, his grin vanished from his face. It made her heart jump a bit. “That is if you’re okay with a newbie,” she said to him.

He raised his brows and looked back at the editors. “Beggars can’t be choosers. I’m fine with it,” he said with a shrug.

“Levy, are you sure?” Eddie asked.

“The girl said she wanted the job, Eduardo. Give it to her,” Felecia finally spoke, her voice like ice down Levy’s back. Her snake eyes were on her, a curious expression on her face.

“Okay,” Eddie sighed. “Do your best then.” He looked around the room. “If no one else has any issues or questions, I need my second breakfast. Get to work, people!” Eddie spun around, brushed a hand across KeoHyun’s shoulder and made his way to the back of the room where Levy noticed three doorways along the back wall. She assumed they each led to an editor’s private office. Everyone broke apart, going back to their departments and getting to work. Felicia gave Levy a once over and turned, heading to the back as well. 

KeoHyun approached Levy and she gave him a respectful bow. “Welcome to World News Korea,” KeoHyun said in Korean. “I’m Han KeoHyun.”

“Levy Carlisle. Please take care of me,” Levy responded in Korean as well. 

“I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Takechi,” he said, gesturing to the man who had quietly come to stand beside her. 

Levy jumped, not expecting him to be there and he chuckled. “Sorry to scare you,” he said in English, his accent very slight. “I’m Takechi Shohei but everyone here calls me by my given name. Except for KeoHyun,” he added, rolling his eyes. 

“Good to meet you. I’m--”

“Levy Carlisle,” he said, using that knowing grin again. She liked the way he said her name. She felt her face heating up and she had to look away to hide the dumb smirk on her face. “I heard. You’re kind of...headstrong.”

“Not headstrong,” Levy said. “There are two things I hate: people mispronouncing my name and being underestimated. I’m...competitive, I guess.”

“That’s good. In this industry, everything’s a competition. You just might be cut out for it.”

“Well, I hope so. What time should I be ready then?”

“Now. You good to go? Do you need to check out a camera from Equipment?”

“Not if we don’t have time. I’ll use mine for today. Not a big deal,” she said holding up the camera around her neck. 

“Good. Grab whatever you need and follow me.”

Levy already had her wallet and ID in her pockets so she rushed back to her desk for her camera bag and joined Shohei at the sliding doors. He exited ahead of her and she followed, her excitement climbing. Not only was she on her first assignment but she got to do it with an extremely good looking guy. He was definitely her type--not that she had a set type. But he was tall, handsome, and kind. That was enough to get her interested really and she wasn’t ashamed to admit it. 

“Another one bites the dust,” Rhoda said to Axle who rolled his eyes as they watched Levy leave with Shohei.

“Don’t say that,” he said, turning back to his desk. “She might not even like him. I might be more--”

“For the last time, Ax,  _ nobody _ is going to choose someone named after a heavy metal band over Takechi Shohei. Move on, dude.”

***

Shohei led Levy to the elevators and he pressed the P on the keypad. “If you don’t have a car yet but get sent out on assignment alone, they have company vehicles you can rent as well. But today we’ll be in my car. Hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“I promise I’m not a serial killer or anything.”

“I definitely wasn’t thinking that but now I’m concerned,” Levy joked, feigning fear.

Shohei laughed and said, “Sorry, I say dumb shit when I’m nervous.”

“Nervous?” 

He didn’t respond. He just looked straight ahead, a shy smile on his face.

They stepped off of the elevator into a dimly lit parking garage which Levy assumed was somewhere below the lobby. They walked a few aisles away, past a row of identical white Nissans that Shohei said were the company vehicles, and he headed for a dark blue Kia SUV. He opened her door and made sure she was settled in before he closed it and jogged around to his side. The car smelled fairly new but from the fresh marks on the rug, she assumed he’d just had it detailed. He got in and directed her to strap in before pulling off and out of the garage into the morning sun.

They carried on congenial conversation on the way to wherever they were going as Levy prepped her camera and lenses for whatever they might be doing. 

“So where you from?” he asked, turning into traffic.

“Chicago. I lived in the city but went to school in the suburbs--until college anyway. You?”

“Hiroshima,” he said and an awkward air settled in the car.

“Um. I would apologize but my ancestors didn’t do that so--” She shrugged and he laughed, his eyes crinkling as he did so.

“You’re funny,” he said, shifting lanes as they got closer to their destination. 

He turned off of the highway and after a five minute drive he pulled into a lot filled with various block-looking buildings. He pulled up to a gate at which they both had their IDs checked before being waved forward.

“So do you know anything about WonWoo?” he asked, driving past a few buildings, looking for the one they were directed to.

“Nope. Not a clue. He’s a kpop dude?”

Shohei smiled. “Yeah. He’s a member of one of the largest, most popular groups right now. You never heard of Seventeen?”

“I have! But...the names and faces escape me,” she said, grinning sheepishly.

“That’s fine,” he laughed. He parked alongside a building that they could only tell apart from the others because there was a large number 7 on the side. “Studio 7,” he said to himself. “Now don’t worry too much. I’ll be doing all the talking. You just focus on making him look good. I need a fantastic visual to go with the article. Something that makes him look...smart? I don’t know, just do your thing.”

Levy laughed and said, “Will do, chief,” before opening her door and sliding down to the pavement. 

Shohei waited for her at the open doors to the building and they entered together. Levy immediately began snapping pictures as people rushed by, some carrying props, others reciting lines under their breath. Levy had never been on a film set before--aside from that time she accidentally walked through a Chicago Fire scene on her way to work. 

Shohei flagged someone down and asked where they could find Jeon WonWoo and they were shown to a dressing room in the back of the building. Shohei knocked and a smiling woman with a round face welcomed them inside, stepping back to open the door. 

“WonWoo, the reporters are here,” she called over her shoulder to a man sitting in front of a brightly lit vanity. He was wearing a cosmetic face mask, leaning back in the chair. He let out a deep sigh as Shohei and Levy made their way in. The room wasn’t large but it did fit a brown leather couch and a short coffee table to their right. The walls were covered with promotional posters for dramas, some of which Levy recognized immediately. A coat rack stood in the corner behind the open door, a lone black snapback hanging from it. The man at the double vanity was sitting straight ahead, his back still turned to them.

Shohei walked up to him, stopping just behind his chair. “Hello, WonWoo, my name is Takechi Shohei from World News. This won’t be terribly long. I just have a few questions and I’ll let you get back to your rehearsal.”

Wonwoo snatched his mask off, running his hands over his face to rub in the moisture, and he spun around before standing to grasp Shohei’s outstretched hand. He wore a long black tee and white jeans with black vans. 

“Good to meet you,” he said. He was smiling but Levy couldn’t help but think it was a fake one. “Please, take a seat, Mr. Takechi,” he said, gesturing to the couch. “You as well…” He turned to Levy who was still standing by the door and froze.

At first Levy didn’t understand the look of confusion on the man’s face. Then she assumed it must’ve been that he didn’t expect a black woman to be in the room. But as he stood stuck on staring at her, a feeling of familiarity dawned on her. 

This was the belligerent man from yesterday. 


	5. Fronting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While out shopping Zia is caught red-handed but luckily someone goes easy on her.
> 
> A Work by CoronaRaven

Chapter Five: Fronting

Zia wandered around the art shop, several things in her arms. She had told herself she didn't need a cart but that was clearly a lie. She had really only come in here for one thing but she couldn’t pass up all the sales they had going! Canvas, frames, brushes, and pencils were all 40% off so she had picked up a pack of each and was eyeing a set of alcohol inks when she remembered what she actually needed.

She had been at her studio early that morning--well as early as her hangover would allow--and she had been staring at a blank computer screen for almost as long as she had been there. She knew exactly what she wanted to write. She had the images in her head; the scenes had been playing out before her eyes for weeks and she even had character and story outlines already. But when she sat down to begin the story, she just kept typing and erasing. Nothing sounded right. It all sounded stale and not like her style at all. 

But she knew what she had to do. It was time for a little draw and paint session. So she went over to her large picture window that overlooked her Seoul neighborhood. She had already set up her easel and a fresh sheet of canvas but after she finished the drawing, she couldn't find the paint she needed and she realized a quick trip to the art supplies shop was needed--that was over an hour ago. 

Zia always did this. She didn’t know why her total would surprise her every time she checked out. 

An employee walked by pushing a cart of materials she intended to put away when Zia flagged her down.

“Excuse me, miss. Is this all the acrylic paints you have? I’m looking for a specific blue--like a marine blu--”

“Yes, yes, this is all,” she said hurriedly. “Everything is on sale so it’s going fast. I’m putting it out as fast as I can but--”

“Okay, nevermind, don’t lose your screw.”

“What?”

“Nothing, nevermind.” Zia bowed her head in thanks and the woman rushed away with her cart. “I really need that color,” Zia murmured to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone slide by the aisle she was in. He was talking over his shoulder to another man but Zia wasn’t listening to their conversation. All she saw was five tubes of the color she needed stacked in his cart. 

Now she could’ve asked him to spare one. She only needed one. She knew that now. But at the time it seemed like the only option was to sneak it from him. Over the years, Zia had become very good at sneaking. 

She followed the boys through the store, dipping into adjacent aisles and slowly getting ahead of them. Zia peered around the corner at them. The second man had disappeared but the one pushing the cart was distracted, looking closely at different sizes of canvas and comparing their prices. Zia quickly walked down the aisle heading right for him. He didn’t look up and though his eyes were mostly hidden behind tinted shades, Zia could tell he hadn’t noticed her. She slowed as she passed him, pretending to be interested in something on the opposite side and when she was certain he wasn’t looking she slipped her hand into his cart, lifting a tube of the blue paint from the top of his stack, and she continued on her path.

She’d almost gotten away with it too. 

“Hey! I saw that!” Someone was shouting at her from the other end of the aisle but Zia put her head down and kept it moving. Foolish to think she could disappear. Her bright pink curls stood out everywhere she went. 

_ Curse my fantastic style _ , she thought.

“Yah! Ahjumma!”

“ _ Ahjumma _ ?” Zia spun around and stared wild-eyed at the man who had called out to her. It was the guy’s friend from earlier. He was power walking straight for her, a pissed expression on his face. 

“Oh, so you  _ do _ speak Korean,” he said, his arms crossed. He blew hot air out his mouth, angrily ruffling his brown hair.

“I probably speak it better than you, kid,” Zia said, holding the paint behind her back.

The brown haired man swelled up and pointed an accusatory finger at her. “Then do you know stealing things from other people is illegal?”

Zia smacked her lips and rolled her eyes. “Define  _ stealing _ .”

“Define-- _ you stole it,” _ he said, flicking the tails of his open button up behind him before putting his hands on his hips. 

Zia smirked and said, “ _ Technically, _ he didn’t buy it yet.”

“It’s stealing,” the man insisted.

“Is it though?” Zia probed, finding glee in the fact that he was getting so bent out of shape.

“YES!”

“Seungkwan. Relax,” said the guy in tinted shades. He had been standing there between the two of them, watching the exchange with almost as much amusement as Zia. “It’s just paint. I really don’t need this much.” He turned to look at her and removed his glasses, flashing her a smile. “You can have that one. Seems like you really need it,” he said running a hand through his floppy silver hair. 

Zia looked at him sideways, trying to think if she had seen him somewhere before. “You…”

He raised his brows expectantly. “Yes?”

“Are those all your teeth?”

“ _ Excuse me? _ ”

“Um…” Zia covered her mouth to stifle a laugh when she realized what she’d said out loud. “I meant that it’s a nice smile.”

“Uh...huh,” he said slowly, knowing that wasn’t what she meant but unclear as to what she actually meant. 

“Thanks for this,” she said holding up the tube of paint and adding it to her pile of things in her arms. “I was kinda desperate.”

“We see,” said the man called Seungkwan, glaring at her.

“You still here, kid?”

“I am  _ not _ \--”

“Ugh, I gotta go. Thanks again, mister guy,” she said, turning toward the checkout desk and smiling at the silver-haired one over her shoulder. “See you around, angry child,” she sang as she walked away.

Seungkwan made a move to go after her but his friend laughed and pulled him back by the hand. “Relax,” he said again, watching Zia walk away.

“B-but, Hansol, she--she’s awful," he said, exasperated.

“She’s Zia Edison,” Hansol said, a huge smile lighting up his face.

“Zia-- _ her _ ?” Seungkwan gawked at her back, disbelief etched in every inch of his face. He turned to Hansol who just nodded, still fixated on her. Seungkwan shook his hand free from his friend and instead grabbed him by the shoulders so he could look him in the eyes. “Hansol.  _ No _ .”

Hansol laughed at Seungkwan, brushing him off before grabbing his cart again and continuing their journey around the store. But one word was repeating over and over in his head as he watched Zia leave. 

_ Yes. _


	6. 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levy finds a way to get through the interview with Wonwoo and gets to know a bit more about the handsome Takechi Shohei...
> 
> A Work by CoronaRaven

Chapter Six: 20

Levy gathered every ounce of her professionalism and gave the man a deep, quick bow, holding her camera aloft.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Jeon,” she said, giving him a respectful bow. “I’m Levy. I’ll be photographing you today. I’ll stay standing, thanks. Just trying to find your best angle.”

“Uh...huh,” he said, drifting into his seat. “And you both are from World News,” he asked, dragging his confused eyes away from Levy.

“Yeah,” Shohei said slowly, looking between the two of them. “Your people told you we were coming?”

“Yeah,” Wonwoo said, slowly easing back into his chair, still very aware of Levy by the door. “NaYeon, could I have some water please?”

“Sure. Be right back,” said the woman who had let them in. She gave Levy and Shohei a nod and left the room. 

“Should we start or--” Shohei began, gesturing at the closing door.

“We don’t have to wait. You can go ahead with your questions,” Wonwoo answered, turning his chair to face the couch.

“Do you want to apply some make up before I start taking pictures?” Levy asked, moving away from the door and standing in front of the table. 

Wonwoo smirked a bit but then took a closer look at her camera. It was a serious piece of equipment, able to pick up the slightest imperfections so he thought better. “Yeah. One second please.” 

Shohei and Levy waited in awkward silence as he opened up a small makeup bag on the vanity and hurriedly began applying foundation and lip tint. She could feel Shohei trying to catch her eye but she looked everywhere in the room but at either of the men. 

Now her exchange with Wonwoo yesterday made sense. He thought she was paparazzi and had taken pictures of him--because he was an  _ idol _ . Levy mentally popped herself in the head and felt herself getting hot from the chest up. She had told him he wasn’t familiar. She had basically called him and his entire family a nobody! On her first day in the country. Was he going to have her deported now that he knew her name? At least she didn’t give him her last name. She--

“Levy? You ready?”

Levy was torn from her erratic thoughts and looked back at Shohei. Both he and Wonwoo were watching her, quizzical expressions on their faces. “What?”

“We’re about to start,” Shohei said. He had his tablet and stylus out, the recording app already running in the background. 

“Oh. Of course.”

Shohei cleared his throat and began his line of questions. Levy adjusted her camera in her hands and brought it up to her eyes. She took a few test shots and adjusted for the lighting. She kneeled down on the side of the table farthest from Wonwoo and snapped a few pictures. He kept glancing at her and she wondered if he’d ever had his picture taken. Of course she knew he had, being an idol and everything, but it was like he couldn’t help but be distracted.

“Don’t mind me, Mr. Jeon,” she mumbled as she took a few more pictures from that angle before standing and moving around to his back. “I’m just trying to find your best side, so to speak.”

Wonwoo sat up straighter and tugged at his sleeves a bit, making sure his shirt was neat. He tried to focus on the reporter’s questions but they were the same old questions he’d answered millions of times before.

What made you choose this script?

Who are your inspirations for acting?

Are you excited to work with your co-stars?

Blah blah blah

Wonwoo had heard it all already and he was bored of it. But it was good PR for the show so he would do what he had to do.

“And, can I ask, what do your fellow group members think about your foray into acting?” Shohei asked, watching Wonwoo. 

“Oh, they absolutely tease,” Wonwoo answered truthfully, thinking of how Mingyu offered to run lines with him when he first got his scripts--but only as the female lead. “But they support me, wholeheartedly.” 

Wonwoo couldn’t help but glance again at the woman prancing around the room, snapping photos of him. She was like a buzzing fly that he couldn’t get rid of. She finally sat down, her thigh brushing against the reporter who jumped slightly, turning to her in surprise, but she didn’t seem to notice as she held the camera up again, focused on Wonwoo, and took a few more shots. 

“I’m sure they are,” Shohei said, slowly dragging his attention away from the woman at his hip. “I’ve heard you all are like brothers. Trained together for years... Can we look forward to a comeback after this drama has wrapped?”

“Well, I’ll always be making music with my members. Hopefully 50 years from now, we’ll still be making music,” Wonwoo said, a genuine smile finding his face for the first time since they entered the room. 

“What if you break up?” Levy asked, the camera still held up to her eyes. She watched as Wonwoo snapped his head in her direction, his brows stitching together in surprise.

And that was when she realized she had said it aloud. “Oh, shit. I mean, I’m sorry,” she amended in Korean, putting the camera down and bowing her apologies.

Shohei gave a nervous laugh and said, “Oh, well, she’s just curious as a reporter, that’s all.”

But Wonwoo looked genuinely concerned. “What do you mean?”

“Um…” Levy looked from Wonwoo to Shohei who just shrugged, encouraging her to continue. “Well, you’re an actor now. I understand this is your first big role and all but you wouldn’t be doing this if you didn’t think you’d like it. What if you like it more than music? What if you get more opportunities that you can’t pass up and the group suffers because of it? I guess they could go on without you but--”

“No,” Wonwoo said, defiant but not angry. He looked her straight in the eyes and continued. “When you are a part of a team--a family--you don’t just find something you like better and quit on them. This isn’t just about me. If I fall in love with acting, I am still going to be a member of Seventeen. If I begin to lose my love for rapping, I'm going to do what I need to do to find my passion again and keep making music with them. I won’t let them down like that. I’ll work until it’s finished.”

A resounding silence filled the room after he finished his small speech. Shohei and Levy were frozen, just entranced by his seriousness. Levy quietly raised her camera and took a picture of him, looking directly at the lens. She put the camera back down and nodded.

“I understand. Thank you,” she said, her voice quieter than she intended. 

He gave her one tight nod and turned back to Shohei. “Anything else?”

“No. No, I think I’ve gotten enough. Thank you,” Shohei said standing and holding his hand out. Wonwoo gave it a shake and turned to the door to walk them out just as Na Yeon returned, three bottles of water in her hand. 

“Sorry! It was really hard to track down.”

Wonwoo kindly took the water from her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright. I almost forgot actually. Here.” He gave her one bottle which she accepted gratefully. “I’ll just see them out,” he said, holding the door open for Shohei and Levy. Levy said goodbye to Na Yeon and followed Shohei out, her camera held to her chest.

“Thanks for agreeing to the interview. I know it was last minute but I’m glad we got to talk,” Shohei said to Wonwoo as they got closer to the exit.

“Absolutely. I look forward to seeing the article. And the photos,” he added, glancing at Levy who avoided his eyes.

“Good luck on your rehearsal,” Shohei said. He gave a small wave and turned toward his car.

Levy bowed respectfully and made to follow after Shohei but Wonwoo grabbed her elbow and pulled her back, turning her to face him. She hadn’t realized just how tall he was before. He was only a bit shorter than Shohei but her head barely reached his chest. It might’ve been a romantic moment had it not been for the intimidating and suspicious look in his eyes.

“Why did you pretend not to know me yesterday?” he asked.

Levy looked at her arm in his grasp and back at him, raising her eyebrows. He got the hint and let her go, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking around to see if anyone had noticed. “So?” he asked again.

“Who pretended? I really don’t know you,” she said, smoothing her curls.

“You just showed up on assignment today, ill-prepared?”

“Sure did. Now, if you’d excuse me, Mr. Jeon…” She rolled her eyes and jogged to catch up to Shohei, making it to his car just as he opened her door and looked around for her. 

Wonwoo watched her leaving, completely perplexed and vexed. Her question had really caught him off guard. And he liked it. 

***

Shohei and Levy were quiet in the car until they made it back to the highway and he picked up speed. He turned the music down and cleared his throat. Levy sighed and closed her eyes sure of what was coming next. 

“Yes?” she asked, turning to face him.

“What was  _ that _ about? Is there something I should know?” he chuckled nervously. “Do you know him? Personally, I mean.”

“Ha!” Levy said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “Not a chance. But--well I might’ve run into him yesterday. We had words. He was an asshat,” she said. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth but Shohei just laughed and switched lanes.

“How did you have a run in with an idol? Didn’t you just arrive in the country...yesterday?”

“Yeah,” Levy whined, rubbing her forehead as she felt an ache coming on. “Like, why me? Right? So stupid.”

“Aw. Sounds like you need lunch.”

Levy glanced at the clock. 10:45am. “Isn’t it a little early?”

“Are you hungry?”

She shrugged. “I’m always hungry.”

“Then it’s not too early. Trust me.”

Levy thought that was a ridiculous statement. She had just met the guy a couple of hours ago and he expected her to trust him? 

They came to a stoplight and he leaned back and smiled at her, his slightly crooked teeth somehow charming. Levy laughed and looked away, her stomach fluttering. 

“Okay,” she said and she sat back and let him drive. 

Ten minutes later he was pulling over to parallel park on a street, smoothly sliding the SUV into place. Levy waited until he turned the car off and hopped out, looping her camera strap around her neck.

“You could leave that under the seat or--” he began, but she clutched it tight between her fingers.

“No way, you crazy?” 

He chuckled, shrugged, and got out of the car, meeting her on the other side. “So,” she said, “What are we in the mood for?”

“Follow me.” He smiled and held his hand out ahead of him. She began to walk and he fell in step by her side. He directed her to a side street and they turned right, coming into a wide alley filled with people and booths, some that sold clothing but others sold food. There were colorful banners hanging from building to building and toddlers running under foot as they played with toys and sang songs to each other. 

Levy raised her camera and snapped a few pictures, turning in a circle to get a look at everything. 

“What is this place?” she asked, her eyes growing wider at the sight of a tteokbokki seller in the distance.

“I live around here,” Shohei said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and watching her, his grin firmly in place. “I thought you would like it here. It’s beautiful, right?”

“It’s awesome,” Levy said, focusing on the children at play. She walked up to some of the mothers, gathered in conversation and raised her camera in a silent question. They noticed Shohei standing behind her and nodded their agreement before she took photos of their children and continued on their way down the long alley. 

They were coming closer to the tteokbokki stand and Levy couldn’t hide the way she was sniffing. 

“Have you tried it before?” Shohei asked, noticing the way she gravitated toward it.

“Once. When I was visiting a friend in LA a few years back.”

“I love LA!”

“Me too. I studied a semester there,” she said, stepping up to the stand and ordering 4 servings. Shohei tried to pay for it but she insisted and handed him half. “For letting me come with you today--not that you had much choice--but thanks.”

“Mmm, I feel bad though. Not many journalists want to work in the kpop sector.”

“Why’s that?”

“We often get blamed for breaking the heart of fans or being too hungry for scandal. Not to mention, a lot of ‘serious’ reporters find it childish,” he said shrugging.

“What do you think?” she asked, taking a bite. She slowly began to walk back to the other end of the alley and he followed her at a lazy pace, neither of them in a hurry to get back to the office, although Levy realized she probably should’ve been with it being her first day and all.

“I think every story deserves to be told,” Shohei said.

Levy thought for a moment and then nodded. “I agree. And you never know where you’ll find a good one. People need to stop being so critical. Life is supposed to be fun.”

Shohei watched her, her smile lighting up her face. He couldn’t help but feel the warmth and positivity she radiated. “You’re pretty optimistic, huh?”

“Relentlessly and Hopelessly, they tell me.” 

“I like that,” he said, leading her back to the car. “Hey, I’ll bring you back here. Anytime you want.”

Levy nodded and grinned. “I like that.”

  
  
  



	7. OMG

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shohei encourages Levy to pitch an idea to her editors that they can't refuse.
> 
> Zia runs into a familiar face at a book signing and is offered a certain amount of money in return for her services.
> 
> A Work by CoronaRaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little longer than previous chapters so settle in, lads.

Chapter Seven: OMG

A week had already passed and Levy was getting used to her new living arrangements. She had lived on her own since she was 19 so adapting to two roommates was something she had to work on but it helped that she loved them so much, despite their constant shenanigans. It was more difficult to get used to having no dryer or dishwasher but Levy was making it work, doing her laundry in small loads and washing her dishes after every use. It was a big change from having a monthly housekeeper coming to her apartment.

Work had been exciting as well. She rarely got home in time for dinner but she was constantly on the move. Rhoda had been right about her being lent out to different departments and Levy didn’t mind because she was learning a lot--even if she was disappointed that she hadn’t been assigned to work with Shohei again. But they were friendly whenever they saw one another and she thought she felt his eyes watching her whenever they would part. 

It was Friday morning and Levy was nursing a hangover, slurping a mug of hot cocoa while standing in the kitchen. She had tried her best to not look like she felt, wearing a suede tan mini skirt and a black and white striped scoop-neck crop, just barely showing a hint of skin. Zia was sitting at the dining table slumped forward, eyes closed, still in her pajamas and flowered kimono robe. She would have looked dead if it weren’t for the slow rise and fall of her back. 

Kira slid into the room, dressed brightly in a powder blue chiffon blouse and cream knee-length skirt, carrying black pumps in her hand. Her work ID hung from a lanyard around her neck, tangling in her black curly hair which was loose and wild today. She looked like she had gotten a full ten hours of sleep and she acted like it too.

“Good morning, chocolate people!” she sang, sliding past her friends to the fridge. 

“Mmm,” Levy moaned, closing her eyes from the pain Kira’s happy mood caused. Zia said nothing.

“What’s up with y’all?” Kira asked, pulling out the pitcher of water and pouring herself a cup.

“Hungover.”

“How do you keep getting hungover? All you do is work! And they threw you a welcome party like four days ago!”

“Apparently, my team believes in bonding through alcohol. And, believe it or not, Ki, I think they could drink you under the table.”

Kira scoffed and said, “Yeah, okay,” while rolling her eyes. “And what’s wrong with her?” Kira tipped her chin in Zia’s direction.

“She’s wallowing,” Levy said simply.

Kira nodded. “Classic Zia,” she said, matter-of-factly. “What is it this time, Z?”

Zia didn’t answer. She just moaned and turned her head the other way. Levy sighed and answered instead. “She went on a bad date last night.”

“You mean she had a bad hookup?”

“No. An honest-to-God date. But it was awful apparently. She didn’t go into detail.” Levy shrugged and went back to slurping her hot chocolate.

“It _was_ awful,” Zia murmured and sat up, rubbing her head.

“What happened?”

“He _talked_ . He just talked _so much_ and he was so goddamn _boring._ Why are people so boring? Same thing happened a few nights ago. I went out with this girl and she _didn’t_ talk. Didn’t say a word. Oh and get this: at the end of the night, the dude called me his ‘ _chocolate princess_ ’.”

Kira gasped and Levy shuddered. “Eeew,” Levy said. “So what did you do?”

“I cussed his ass out in two languages of course. He must’ve been impressed though because he WON’T STOP TEXTING ME.” Zia groaned and banged her head back onto the table.

“Why are you going on dates anyway? That’s so out of character for you.”

Zia sat up again and looked sideways at her friends. “Well...for my next series my publisher is pushing me to include a love story. But--”

“You’ve never been in love,” Levy finished for her.

“Exactly.”

“I don’t see why that’s a problem,” Kira said, crossing to the counter and opening a container of croissants. “You’ve never been to space but you write about that just fine.”

“Right?” Zia yelled, throwing her hands in the air. “But I don’t know why I can’t even begin to fathom how this shit should go. I’ve read love stories a billion times. We watch them in all of Levy’s dramas. But when I sit down to start writing about this goddamn relationship, shit just--won’t. It won’t happen.”

Kira pouted and walked over to the table, patting Zia on the back. “Sorry, friend. Let me know if I can help.”

Zia turned to her, lip poked out. “Love me.”

“Oh no can do, buckaroo, you’re not my type.”

“What kinda shit? Levy?”

“Aw. I wish I could be gay for you, Z. But, alas, I don’t think that’s how that works.”

Zia crossed her arms and sat back in her chair, glaring at them both. “It sure would be nice to have real friends.”

Levy and Kira both laughed and ignored her. Levy rinsed out her mug while Kira buttered her croissant. “Well,” Kira said, glancing at the clock on the wall above the doorway. “Would a real friend remind you that you have to be at an interview and book reading in less than an hour?”

Zia looked at the clock and jumped up, running from the room and dashing upstairs, all the while screaming, “I hate it heeeere!” 

Levy and Kira shook their heads. “So,” Levy said, getting a croissant as well. “You like your job, huh?”

“I love it. The kids are great. They do ask weird questions about my skin but they aren’t rude about it so I take it as a teachable moment.”

“I would’ve expected that to come with the playing field,” Levy said nodding.

“What about you? You talked to that hot reporter lately?” Kira asked, smiling and nudging her.

“Ugh, not really,” Levy whined. “I wanna make him miiiine. He’s so my type.”

“A lot of people are your type, Lev.”

She pouted and said, “But he really _really_ is, Ki.”

“Yeah, okay,” Kira said, patting her head. “My friends are insane. But I gotta go.” She wiped her mouth free of crumbs and finished off her water.

“I’ll walk to the bus stop with you.” 

They headed to the door to put on their shoes and Zia came barrelling down the stairs, somehow looking as together as she ever did. Her pink hair was pulled back in a messy bun and her glasses were a little crooked but her make up was immaculate and her dark wash jeans were clean and cuffed; her fitted white t-shirt which read “Catch These Skibbitypaps “ was free of stains or wrinkles.

“Wait for me,” she yelled, sliding into some tan pumps with red and gold roses painted on the sides. 

“Y’all trippin, wearing heels to work,” Levy mumbled as she slipped into her black and white platform sneakers before the three of them headed out. Zia forgot her key and had to run back inside while the others threatened to leave her, but she caught up with them before they even got to the bus stop. 

***

Levy walked into the office, setting her camera and lunch bags down on her desk. Rhoda came up behind her and grabbed her by the shoulders, making her jump and then whine when she realized who it was.

“Rhoda! It’s too early for your shenanigans.”

“You look good,” she said, coming around and looking her up and down. “Not at all like you were up drinking until 2am.”

“Back at you,” Levy glared. “Axle, get your friend, please.”

“You know by now she cannot be tamed,” Axel said, never taking his eyes away from his computer screen.

“What time did you get here?”

“Six,” he said, taking a sip from his can of Red Bull.

“Did you sleep?” 

He shrugged and said, “Min Seok needs these photos edited by the morning meeting.” He stopped and glanced at the big clock on the wall. “Which is in ten minutes.”

Levy watched him in wonder. “I don’t know how you guys do it.”

“You’ll learn,” Rhoda said, slumping into her chair. “You think you’re busy now? Just wait until they start to trust you.”

Levy frowned and was about to ask what she meant by that when the doors slid open and Shohei walked in looking every bit as handsome as he usually did. His hair was pushed back from his face and it looked like he hadn’t shaven in a few days. He was wearing a tan jacket with a white tee underneath and black jeans with black and white converse. He nodded at some people as they passed by but when he looked up their eyes met and he made a bee line for her, clutching his messenger bag.

“Good morning, Levy.”

“Good morning, yourself, sir. What’s up?”

“Did you see today’s web page?”

“Not yet. Why?” 

“Good! I wanted to be the one to show you.” He reached inside his bag and pulled out his tablet. After tapping the screen a few times, he turned it to face her. She raised her brows as she read the headline: “Catching Up With Seventeen’s Wonwoo: Budding Actor”. 

Wonwoo’s picture was looking back at her beneath the headline. _So they had used that one_ , she thought. She had to admit--he was very good looking in a sort of underrated way. Levy realized her heart was racing and she looked at Shohei.

“I can’t believe a picture _I took_ is in the paper!”

“That’s not all. Read it real quick.”

Levy took the tablet from Shohei and scanned the article, swiping to the bottom. About a paragraph from the end, Levy saw the question she had asked Wonwoo in italics.

“You included my question! But--I thought that was off the record?”

“I really liked his answer though. It was such a thought provoking question. I called his manager to make sure they would be okay with me including it. Sorry I couldn’t credit you though. We felt like it would take away from the--”

“No, no! Don’t apologize. This is awesome!”

Levy could feel her head swelling with ego. 

“Congrats, Levy,” Axle said looking away from his screen for a moment. “This is just the start.”

“Thanks, Axle,” Levy glowed, handing the tablet back to Shohei.

“In other news,” Rhoda said, standing and waltzing over to them both, looking them up and down. “You two are looking awfully matchy-matchy today. Did somebody say ‘couples outfits’?”

“What?” Levy looked at herself, then at Shohei. Their color schemes were damn near identical. 

“Oh shit!” Shohei laughed.

“ _Really_ , Rhoda?” Levy said, rolling her eyes.

“I’m just saying,” she said with a shrug before trailing off.

“We look good,” Shohei said, nudging Levy in the arm playfully. “I gotta go get settled. See you at the meeting.”

“In 5,” Levy said nodding. After he’d walked away, she turned to Rhoda and narrowed her eyes. “Real smooth.”

“Whatever. You’ll thank me later.” She brought her lips to two fingers and blew a kiss at her, Levy rolling her eyes again.

Five minutes later, Eddie called everyone to the center of the room for the morning meeting. Levy stood silently in her spot in the circle, listening intently and waiting to see if there was any assignment she could work on in house. She heard some shuffling and looked up to see Shohei standing over her left shoulder. He smiled down at her making her stomach flutter again as she turned back to the editors.

“Kpop sector, you got anything for me today? Shohei, the article was lovely, babe, but we’re looking a little dry over there these days. Any new ideas?”

Shohei and several reporters on his team looked from one another and searched through the notes on their tablet. Someone raised a hand and began talking about ISAC but that was too far off. Another suggested they check in with Rain and how his family is doing but Felecia stood there with her lips pursed, unimpressed by both ideas. 

Levy fidgeted from one foot to the other, dying to say something but unsure if it was her place. Then she felt a warm breath by her ear.

“You have something to say?” Shohei murmured. Levy just shrugged and he stood straight again before raising his voice. “Hey, Eddie, I think Levy has something she wants to share. Go ahead, Lev.” He nudged her shoulder, causing her to lose her balance and step further into the middle of the circle. 

“Hey!” she whisper-shouted at him but he just smiled and tilted his chin at her, encouraging her to go on. She turned and looked at the three editors: the Viper Felecia, Curious Eddie, and Kindly KeoHyun. “Um. Okay so I got this idea back when I worked with Shohei last week? Um…” Levy looked around, all eyes on her. She then swallowed her nerves and forged ahead. “We should really build relationships with these idols. I mean, they see us and they just think we’re out for blood in most cases. We’re just looking for a story, snooping around their difficult pasts and love lives. There are millions of reporters in the world and too many in the kpop sector so we need to find a way to stand out. So, I was thinking why don’t we get to know these people. We shadow them for however long, a few days to a week. We don’t prepare any questions beforehand and we just talk to them, whatever comes up organically. We do minimal research going into it so it’s like we’re doing a profile on them for someone who had never heard of them--someone like me,” she laughed nervously and caught Rhoda’s eye who gave her a low thumbs up before she continued. “A reporter and a camera operator follow an idol from waking to sleeping, learning about their everyday lives, their ambitions, their interests, their families. And then when it’s all said and done, we’ve forged a relationship with these idols. Who knows what kind of exclusive things they’ll be willing to give us. If you think Dispatch has an in--they’ll be nothing compared to us.” 

Eddie looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully but she felt like she hadn’t quite caught him yet. “A-and we can format it like a mini documentary. Put it up on the publications YouTube channel. I’ve been keeping an eye on it, and we mostly use it to recap articles that are already on the webpage. But why don’t we _really_ get some use out of it and generate more cash flow for the company? I can’t see how anyone could be opposed to that.”

“Well...fans are always dying for more ‘in-the-life’ footage of their biases,” Eddie said, nodding.

“I like it,” KeoHyun said looking at his colleagues.

“Yes, ‘A Week with Wonwoo’,” Eddie said, sweeping his hand through the air.

“O-or any other idol,” Levy said, but they hadn’t seemed to hear her.

“Something of this caliber though, I would have to pass it by the boss,” Keohyun mentioned. “If we all agree, I’ll get right on it. Felicia?”

There was a brief awkward pause and she spun around, heading back to her office. “Do what you like, Han.”

Keohyun grinned at Levy and said, “That means she likes it.”

“Good work, Ms. Carlisle,” Eddie said. “Oh and I just loved that last question in the article for today.” He winked at her and then turned to everyone else. “Okay, my lovely Snap Dancers, back to work! Time for my second breakfast!” 

***

The last few hours had flown by in a surge and Zia was mentally exhausted. Her people meter was dangerously high but she still had a long line of fans to sign autographs for. 

She had become so popular after her last series completed that she had to have two readings in the same day. There just wasn’t enough space to accommodate the amount of people that wanted to see her. She had arrived at her agency only a half hour late with her part-time assistant fussing at her heels as she rushed to the conference room.

“I don’t know why you don’t let me send you a car! At least let them buy you a car, Zia.”

“EunHa, chill, dear. I’m here, aren’t I?”

EunHa sighed deeply, blowing flyaway strands of hair from her face. She reached up and smoothed her ponytail down and tried to stick a smile firmly in place before continuing with the one woman who could get her blood pressure up.

“Okay. Fine. You’re here. The reporter is waiting downstairs. I’ll just go--”

“Oh, yeah, about that. Cancel it.”

EunHa’s smile vanished. “B-but you--”

“I know what I said before but--I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.”

“Zia, you have never given an interview and this was supposed to be your first! You were late and now you just want me to send them away? Tell me how this makes sense, Zia!”

“I mean, the fans are what’s important, right? Right, eonnie? And we don’t have much time before the first reading. I need to practice and get my second coffee and...and uh…”

Eunha closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, a tension headache settling in. “Meditate?” she offered and Zia latched on.

“Yeah! Meditate! See I knew you would understand, eonnie.” Zia knew EunHa was tired of her shenanigans but she also knew that the interview would be cancelled. Zia never sat for an interview and despite the false hopes she would give her publishers, she had no plans to. She didn’t need her brain probed--especially since writing her new book was taking such a nosedive. 

“Fine,” EunHa murmured and left the room to cancel the interview and get them both a second coffee.

4 hours had passed and Zia was now halfway through a 3rd coffee and had ordered a fourth. The book store the reading had been scheduled in was one of the biggest in the city, with two floors and a balcony that looked down on the center of the first. The line of fans had wound all the way up the stairs and around that balcony during the first reading and this second time was only a little better. But Zia was always happy to see her fans, so she grit her teeth and endured the small talk and beautiful words of encouragement. 

The sun was already well into the west sky when the line finally began to dwindle and the store became quieter and cooler with less people. Zia was craving the silence of her studio and was making plans to run there as soon as she could. 

The last fan walked up and Zia barely spared him a glance before taking his stacks of books from him and asking his name. She did notice though that the books were worn and tattered, some of them her earlier works from right after she’d graduated high school. 

“Wow, you’ve been a fan for a long time, huh?”

“I have,” he replied, his deep tenor ringing some bells in her head.

“And who should I make these out to?”

“Hansol,” he said, leaning on his hip and looking down at her.

The name drove it home. She knew where she’d heard his voice before--the guy from the art supplies store. Zia slowly looked up at him. He was just as obscure now as he was then, his face almost completely hidden. He wore a white bucket cap low over his eyes and a white cloth facemask. He was wearing a white graphic t-shirt and dark wash jeans with clean white sneakers. 

“Did you follow me here?”

He chuckled and kneeled down, his arms folded on the table in front of her so that they were at the same height. Now she could see his eyes as they were level with hers and she could tell he was smiling.

“That’s crazy. I’m a fan. See my books.”

“You probably borrowed these from your sister,” she said, shutting them and pushing them back at him.

He smacked his lips and rolled his eyes. “She wishes. These are all mine. I’ve been your fan for a while now.”

Zia narrowed her eyes at him. “Then why didn’t you say anything in the store?”

“I didn’t think you wanted to be bothered. You were...on a mission, after all. Question, does your agency know about your kleptomaniac tendencies?” He looked over at EunHa who was standing off to the side, distracted by an urgent phone call. 

Zia leaned forward and hissed. “I am _not_ a klepto! I just really needed that paint.”

“I wasn’t even talking about the paint--but we probably should. I meant the cup of pens you stuffed in your bag a half hour ago.”

“Sh--Those pens were for me.”

“To sign books with, not to take them home.”

“You don’t know that.”

Hansol chuckled and stood back up as EunHa approached the table.

“All done?” she asked, smiling and looking between Hansol and Zia. He smiled back at her and Zia turned to EunHa.

“Yep. All done,” Zia said, springing to her feet.

“I was hoping you’d join me for dinner,” Hansol said, causing both EunHa and Zia to freeze.

“You know him?” EunHa asked, looking closely at Hansol who averted his eyes.

“No--”

“Yes. Funny story actually. We met in an art supplies shop--”

“It’s too early for dinner!” Zia shouted over him. She moved around the table and grabbed him by the wrist. “Take me for ice cream instead,” she said through gritted teeth. “EunHa, I’ll be going now. Don’t call me until Monday, please.”

Hansol barely had time to grab his books from the table before Zia dragged him out of the store and as far from EunHa as possible, only releasing him once they were several blocks away. But Hansol hadn’t minded. He had been wanting to meet Zia Edison for years and now that he was finally in her presence, she continued to amuse him. She walked incredibly fast for someone in high heels and Hansol had to speed just to keep up with her, but he eventually fell in line beside her, his smirk hidden by his facemask. 

“Where are we going?” he asked her.

She came to a full stop and turned to face him. “What do you want?”

Hansol had to back track. “Well--I guess I have a business proposition for you--and I would still like those autographs. I waited for a long tim--”

“You’re not just fucking with me?”

“What? No, I really have something to pass by you.”

Zia nodded once and continued on her way. Hansol jogged to catch up with her. “Where are we going?”

“I did say I wanted ice cream,” she said, heading for a crowded Baskin Robbins. Hansol’s eyes went wide and he grabbed her by the hand, pulling her back.

“Wait. Not there. It looks like a long wait.”

“But they have my favorite flavor!”

“I know a better place and it’s not far. Come on.” He pulled her along, rushing past 31 Flavors, and around a corner to a street much less busy. 

She snatched her hand back and said, “Just so you know, I could kick your ass using two different martial arts and never come out of my heels. And if that doesn’t work, my assistant is always tracking my location--so I don’t think your kidnapping attempt would be successful.”

“What? You think _I’m_ trying to kidnap _you_?”

“Have you seen what I look like?” she said smoothing her hair back and crossing her arms. “Have you seen _yourself_? You look super sus, my guy.” She said the last part in English and looked him up and down.

He laughed airily and stepped closer to her. “I’m not suspicious,” he replied in kind, causing her eyes to widen a bit in shock. “We can speak English if you prefer,” he said, his accent perfectly American. “But I really am taking you to an awesome cafe that serves amazing gelato. We’re like five minutes away,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking away.

Zia stood in place for a moment but the temptation of sweets and her curiosity were too strong. She followed after him, catching up quickly. “Only because I really like gelato.”

“Mmhm,” he said, knowingly.

“Why didn’t you say you were American?”

“I’m not,” he replied with acid in his tone. “My mother is,” he said softer. “I spent some time there but I’m Korean.”

Zia nodded but didn’t push the subject anymore. After a few minutes he pointed to a hanging shop sign. It simply read, “Downstairs Cafe.” 

“Yeah, that’s not suspicious at all,” Zia mumbled, but she followed him anyway, after sending a quick location drop to Levy and Kira. They entered a simple building and stood in a dingy foyer with a few mailboxes in the wall on her right. Stairs split in two directions, one set going up and the other going down. Without missing a beat, or sparing a glance her way, Hansol skipped down the steps into darkness. Zia cursed herself before going after him. “Hansol?”

“I’m here,” he said, a smile in his voice. Zia made it to the bottom of the stairs and found him waiting in the dim light at a simple black door. A bronze number 42 was nailed to it’s front but there were no other markers that would explain its purpose.

“Okay, now I _really_ feel like you want to kill me.”

“And yet, here you are. What’s wrong with you?” he teased before opening the door.

Immediately, the smell of coffee and bread washed over her, joined by bright amber lighting and the low hum of conversation, calming her worries. He stepped back and allowed her to enter first. 

Zia felt like she had just walked into an anime. It was so inviting and _cute_. She wouldn’t have expected him to know of a place like this. Straight ahead, on the far wall, was a wooden counter with an old cash register and beside it was a long glass case, pastries and sandwiches on display. The tables were low to the floor and small and round, only room enough for maybe three people, and they were surrounded by plush cushions all a different print in shades of brown, gold, red, and blue. The lights that hung above were gold cages around edison bulbs casting a warm, comforting glow throughout the shop. There were a few tables filled but it was relatively empty compared to Baskin Robbins.

Zia quickly walked up to the glass casing and looked down at the rows of gelato. She couldn’t even focus, there were so many that looked so good and she wanted to try every last one. 

“Hey, Hansol,” came a voice from behind her. She looked up just as a handsome older man walked around and stood behind the register smiling kindly at them. Zia hadn’t even realized that Hansol was at her side again. He had pulled his facemask down and was smiling back at the man.

“Hey, Ken. Long time, no see.” 

Zia looked at Hansol closely, leaning forward and analyzing every part of his face.

“Chingu…” the man called Ken asked, a little disturbed by Zia’s intense glare.

“Uh, yeah,” Hansol replied, leaning away from her. “This is Zia Edison. Zia, this is Ken. He owns this place.”

“It looks great in here,” Zia said, quickly turning to Ken with all the charm she could muster. “Real smooth vibes. So...uh...flavors?”

Zia then spent 8 full minutes tasting every flavor he had, eventually settling on three scoops of Peanut Butter Cookie Dough while Hansol got Raspberry Chocolate. They settled at a table in the corner, Zia propping herself up on several pillows and looking around in awe.

“This place would be great for journaling…” she trailed off as she sucked on her spoon and mused to herself all the wonderful stories that probably began right in that room. Eventually her eyes landed on Hansol’s. He had removed his hat and mask completely now and was looking at her intently. When she finally noticed him, he smiled before looking away.

“I’m glad you like it. Not many people know about this place and Ken likes it that way.”

“But wouldn’t he like more customers? The gelato is delish.”

Hansol shrugged and said, “He’s not concerned about money. This is just what he loves.”

“Right…” Zia trailed off again, back to staring at Hansol. He looked terribly familiar--more so than just from the meeting at the store. But she couldn’t place it. “You…”

“Yes?” he leaned forward like he knew what she was about to say. He’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop for some time now. 

“You have a lot of teeth,” she stated simply before leaning back and resuming her ice cream.

“ _What?_ ”

Zia shrugged and moved on. “So what business proposition would you like for me to consider?”

Hansol shook his head and sighed. “Okay, well. Like I said before, I’ve been a fan of yours for--well for forever.”

“What’s your favorite book?”

“The Hog and the Hen.”

Zia flinched like she’d been slapped. “Where did you even find a copy of _that_? I thought I bought them all,” she groaned.

Hansol chuckled and said, “I was very determined and offered an ebay seller an amount he could not refuse.”

“That is just awful, oh my word, you have terrible taste, Mr…”

“Chwe.”

“Ch--what?”

“Hansol is fine. You’re older than me anyway. But do you want me to call you Ms. Edison?”

“Cut your tongue out right now."

Hansol laughed, raising his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. How about ‘noona’?” he asked, putting his elbow on the table and sitting his chin in his hand.

“Cute but I’ll murder you, 100 percent.”

He laughed and said, “Wow. You really put a lot of yourself in your writings, you know? It’s like Tatiana Lanes is jumping off the page and speaking to me right now.”

Zia rolled her eyes and said, “Sir, what is your business with me?”

“Okay, okay,” he said, shaking off his laughter. “I want you to tutor me.”

“You in college? I didn’t go to college.”

“No, no. In writing. I want to be a better writer. I wanna get published. Like you.”

“Like me?”

“Well, not to stroke your ego or anything but you’re kind of...my idol.”

“No, that makes sense,” she said, eating some gelato thoughtfully. “I’m pretty badass.” Hansol looked away grinning. “But, dude, I don’t think you can afford me. I’m super busy right now--”

“You working on something new?” he asked, his eyes growing large and they actually twinkled in boy-like wonder.

“Um...yeah. So I’m super tied up right now and my time is very valuable so I don’t think--”

“Name your price.”

“What? You just want me to give you a number?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. ~~W~~ 300,000 a lesson.”

“Done. Just send me your bank account info and I--”

“Wait, what would’ve happened if I’d said ~~W~~ 500,000?”

“But you didn’t,” he said, sliding his phone across the table to her. “Put your number in.”

Zia hesitated. She knew nothing about this guy other than his name and that he looked to have at least twelve extra teeth in his head. But he seemed genuine and Zia was low-key a sucker for her fans. This was absolutely ridiculous and she knew she was stretching herself thin. She was already stressed as it was and she didn’t need to be teaching some college kid how to write a book. But she could use the extra money to send home to her aunt...

She picked up the phone and began typing. “You can’t give anyone this number and you can’t tell anyone that I’ll be tutoring you. I don’t like a million questions so you can trust I won’t be telling anyone about you either. Got it?” she asked, handing the phone back to him. “I put my bank info in there too. I’ll need payment right before each lesson.”

“Understood,” he said, happily taking his phone back and looking at her number. He felt like he’d struck gold. “I just text you so save the number.”

“Mmhm,” Zia said, back to enjoying her ice cream. “So when do you want to meet? Like once a month or--”

“No,” he said, suddenly looking heartbroken. “I was hoping for a few times a week.”

“A _week_? Don’t you have a life?”

“I’m on a bit of a hiatus right now,” he said slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. He was clearly uncomfortable.

Zia narrowed her eyes and said, “Are you a runaway Mafia son?”

Hansol burst out laughing, earning some dirty looks from the two other patrons of the shop. “No, nothing like that,” he murmured. “I’ve taken some time off work and I want to focus on my writing. I’ve always been interested so I figure there’s no better time than the present. But I don’t know when they’ll call me back to work and how can I not take advantage of this coincidence? To have met you right now? It’s way too trippy of a lead to not follow.”

Zia looked him over again, not sensing an ounce of dishonesty. “Buy me a slice of cake.”

“Huh? Oh. Okay.” He waved Ken down and ordered a slice of lemon. Ken brought it over in under a minute and left them with two forks, giving Hansol a sly wink.

Zia took the first bite and closed her eyes against the strong moist flavor. “So,” she said after a few chews. “I can make time for you tomorrow afternoon--”

“I’m free! I mean, that works for me.” He picked up his fork and was about to stab at the cake when Zia pulled it closer to her and out of his reach. 

“Uh. What are you doing?”

“Having some?”

“You can get your own, Mistah Moneybags.”

Hansol pouted--he actually pouted--and said, “But I’m on a diet. Please?”

“Sir, this is _one_ slice meant for _one_ person,” she said using her long nails to enunciate each word and rolling her neck back and forth. “I don’t know what you thought this was but it aint that.”

Hansol smacked his lips and put his fork down. “Noooooonaaaaa,” he whined.

“Oh, definitely not now. A hundred percent, no,” Zia said, holding the cake against her chest and eating it while Hansol stared and pouted, secretly the happiest he had been in a long time. 

  
  



	8. Work It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xuxi seeks out an irritated Kira to try to persuade her to work with him. Meanwhile Levy hears back from the editors about her special project pitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Work by CoronaRaven

Chapter Eight: Work It

Kira stood at the front gate of the school holding her bag over her head. The downpour came out of nowhere and she was almost soaked through already. The security guard at the gate offered to call her a cab but she politely declined. There was no point in spending extra money when the bus stop was in sight. It was late, the sun already having set, but there was one bus left and Kira was determined to be on it. 

She took off out of the gate at a brisk jog, careful to not step over a grate and lose a heel. She watched her feet on the slick pavement, feeling her hair already puffing up around her. It was still warm but the rain sticking to her skin was already causing her to shiver. 

Suddenly, she knocked her head against something solid and came to a complete stop. Shaking water and hair from her eyes, she saw a pair of black leather boots laced up with white cargo pants tucked in. Looking up, Kira recognized a Burberry print windbreaker zipped all the way up to the chin and the chin belonged to none other than Lucas, visual and rapper of WayV--and Super M--and NCT U.

Kira had been shocked enough to have run into him at her university--so much so that she hadn’t even mentioned it to anyone, wondering if it had been a fever dream. But now here he was in front of the high school she was currently interning at, in all his 6 foot glory, looking like a venti latte. 

Kira quickly looked around, sure that somebody had to have seen him. She reached up and pulled down the bill of his baseball cap over his eyes and hissed, “What are you doing here?”

He grinned, happy to have caught her in a lie. “Ah, so you _do_ know me. I _knew_ it! Kira Moon... _”_ He grabbed his hat and lifted it up so he could see her clearly.

Kira realized the rain had stopped hitting her and looked up to see a large black umbrella that he was holding over her head. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, still smiling down at her. “It’s raining too heavy for anybody to notice me.”

“Why are you here? And how do you know my name?” she asked, still holding her bag up over her head. He took her hands and moved them down to her sides so they could speak unobstructed.

“It cost me W1000! Your coworkers are not loyal,” he laughed but Kira rolled her eyes.

“What do you want?” she snapped. She was so annoyed by him for some reason. Kira was really a quiet and reserved person and being around him made her anxious. She was familiar enough with the kpop world to know the stress of being swept up in rumors with an idol. It wasn’t something she was interested in learning firsthand and she knew enough about this man--from watching his Instagram lives and interviews--that he was extremely flirty. Kira didn’t have the time. 

“I wanted to talk to you about something.” He looked around at the nearby shops. “Maybe we can go get some food and warm up--”

“I’m not going anywhere with you, are you crazy? You tracked me down after meeting me once for 3 minutes! Do you not see how weird that is?”

Kira watched as the gears in his brain started working, translating her Korean to Mandarin and then preparing his answer. “When you put it that way, yes it’s very weird, but if you would let me explain--I need you.”

Kira stepped back and looked him up and down. “Sir.”

“Not like that,” he said, shaking his head in exasperation. “I’m writing a song for my album!” he finally spit out. “I’m writing a song for my solo album and it’s been really...shitty...and when I heard you singing, it--it touched me. Here.” He gestured to his heart and looked at her, his large puppy-like eyes staring into her soul, making her somewhat uncomfortable but also sympathetic.

“Listen, Lucas--”

“Call me Xuxi. Please.”

“No. Listen, Lucas, I am not a professional. Okay? Like, I sang in choir when I was in middle school, had a couple solos--which my boy--my _friend_ never let me live down but that’s it. I am not an idol and you have access to _so many vocalists_. You can literally have your pick of the litter. I’m good.” 

She moved around him but he blocked her exit. “Wait! Shouldn’t I be the one who tells _you_ if you’re good enough for _my_ song? I don’t understand--why wouldn’t you want to work with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I--You mean why wouldn’t someone _like me_ want to work with someone _like you_? Oh am I supposed to take this wonderful opportunity to get myself out of poverty and oh! Let me guess! I’ll have you to worship and thank for every good thing in my life?” Kira’s eyes were large and she had a bright smile on her face but Xuxi could tell she was pissed. Suddenly her face went straight and she gave him a dead stare. 

“Woah--what? How--how did this go left so fast? And--when did we start speaking Mandarin?”

Kira crossed her arms over her chest and leaned on her hip, looking him up and down. “I could tell you were struggling with my Korean so I switched.”

He narrowed his eyes at her and smiled. “How well do you know me?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” she said, throwing her hands in the air and walking around him. Xuxi caught up with her taking 2 long steps and blocked her way again.

“Wait! Here.” He reached into the pocket on his windbreaker and pulled out something wrapped in white plastic. “I wrote my number down for you.” Kira looked down at the thing in his hand. With a jolt to her taste buds she realized it was a cheeseburger from the convenience store. She looked back up at him dumbfounded. “I didn’t have anything else on me to write--can you just take it?” he pleaded.

Kira slowly took it from his hand, her fingertips brushing his open palm. Kira felt a chill go down her spine, her eyes locking onto his for a long instant. Just then she heard a familiar tire tread in the rain. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as the last bus passed her by, rolling into the rainy night.

It took things a moment to connect but once they did she spun around and watched the bus glide into the deluge. “Shit!” she hissed. “You made me miss the bus!”

“Oh,” Xuxi said looking around at the empty bus stop several feet away. “Well I parked nearby. I could give you a ride.”

“No. Thank you. I’ll just...hail a cab.” Kira dug into her bag, shuffling around for her mobile. 

“In this weather?” he asked looking out into the rain. It was a fairly busy street but there wasn’t an available cab in sight. 

“I’ll call a car,” she grumbled, already pissed that she was spending the extra money. 

“I--”

“Shh!” she said, waving a hand at him as she pulled up her ridesharing app. She entered her info and waited for it to be picked up. It was surge pricing but she couldn’t very well stay there--with him at her shoulder.

Suddenly he reached around and pulled the phone from her hands, hitting “cancel” in one swift movement. “Hey--” she began, ready to call him names in every language she knew. But he held up his hand to silence her as he hit a few buttons.

“At least...let me...pay for it.” He finished what he was doing and handed it back to her. “I entered my card information. I would’ve done it for you on my phone but I’m assuming you don’t want me to know where you live? It was my fault you missed your bus. At least let me do this.”

Kira just glared at him before walking away. _Who does he think he is,_ she thought, bringing her bag back up over her head as she dashed for the covered bus stop to wait for her ride. She made it in about 15 seconds, relieved that her heels didn’t give way. She brought her bag down and shook it free of excess drops. It was somehow in way better condition than she was. Kira was completely soaked through and her feet were sticking to the patent leather of her shoes in the most uncomfortable way. 

She looked up just as Xuxi made it to the bus stop. He shook his umbrella out and closed it, looking up at her with his big boyish grin--as if they hadn’t just argued. As if they were friends. But his face suddenly went slack and he looked away, out at the street.

“Um, you know, I really am serious,” he said. “I loved your voice. You could hear all of the happiness in it. I really want to hear it again. Just--call me if you change your mind. I really think we could do something amazing together. Okay?” he asked looking back at her. The smile was gone and instead he looked her in the eyes again, all playfulness disappeared. Kira thought he really was beautiful in this light, the amber glow bouncing off his deep melanin. And his lips were set in a way that made her want to hear his voice. They looked like they told such beautiful lies. 

“I’ll...consider it,” she said, breaking eye contact with him.

“Good,” he said, smiling once more.

They stood in awkward silence for a few seconds, both of them looking out at the rain that looked like it would never let up.

“So,” he said, turning to her brightly. “Am I your WayV bias?”

Kira scoffed and said, “I’m more of a Ten girl myself.”

Xuxi smacked his lips and rolled his eyes. “Me too.”

Kira was so caught off guard she couldn’t hide the snicker that escaped her mouth. He laughed softly with her before they lapsed into silence again, only a little less awkward than before.

“That looks like my ride,” she said, focusing on an approaching blue sedan. She heard him shuffling beside her and when she turned back to him, he had his windbreaker pulled up with his arms over his head which was swallowed by the fabric. He was wearing a fitted black t-shirt beneath, and Kira got a peek at his abs as the shirt dipped up. She felt her face warm and she looked away just as he tugged it over his head, popping his hat off in the process. He quickly dipped down and scooped it up, replacing it on his head. He then handed the windbreaker to her, looking away in the process.

“What?” 

“Take it,” he said, shaking it.

“Why?”

“Your--shirt. I can see through.”

Kira looked down at herself and saw what he was talking about. You could clearly see the outline of her black lacy bra through her wet shirt. She shrugged and moved his arm away. “It’s fine. I’m a woman. People assume I’m wearing a bra.”

“That’s--not the point,” Xuxi said. He took it by the sleeves and tied it around her neck, the rest of it hanging down her front like a bib.

“Seriously?” Kira said, her face growing hotter with the proximity. Not only could she feel his hands against her frizzy hair and feel his warm breath on her head, but she could smell him in the fabric of the jacket, the rain kicking the cologne up to her. It was intoxicating.

“Now you have a reason to call me,” he said, his voice low in her ear. “Get home safe,” he murmured as the car pulled up and the driver called her name through the open window. 

She walked forward and onto the curb without saying another word. She got in the car and confirmed her address, only looking back out the window as they were pulling away. Xuxi was smiling at her sadly and he waved a hand in goodbye.

***

Levy packed up her things at the end of the day, powering down her laptop and sliding it in her drawer before locking it up. 

“You ready to go?” Rhoda called out to her from the doorway, Axle in her wake.

“Ready for--You want to go drinking again?”

“Tonight more than ever! We’re getting off at a decent time on a Friday. You don’t know how rare that is!” Rhoda swayed her hips already dancing to imaginary bar music. 

“Uuhm…” Levy searched the empty air for excuses but couldn’t think of one good enough. But she was rescued.

“Levy, so glad I caught you!” Eddie was speed walking over to her, looking very excited. “Come see me in my office before you go.”

“Yes, sir.” Levy turned back to her friends and pouted. “Sorry, guys. You go on ahead of me and I’ll catch up.” She turned to follow after Eddie, smirking in triumph, but it quickly faded once she realized who else was in Eddie’s office. There was KeoHyun but also Felecia, leaning against his desk with her arms crossed, her red pants suit making her look even more severe today.

Levy gave them each a respectful nod and turned to Eddie. “What’s going on?”

“It’s great news,” Keohyun said, standing and offering her his seat in front of Eddie’s desk. She took it and smiled curiously at him as he continued. “The boss loved your idea and he took it to Pledis immediately--”

“--who also loved it,” Eddie finished for him. “And it’s show business which means these things move fast,” he said, snapping his fingers. “They want us to start the project come Monday. And they don’t only want us to cover Wonwoo, but every member of Seventeen!”

“Th-that’s how many--”

“Thirteen,” Felecia cut through, scowling at Levy. “You work in the entertainment department and don’t even know that? They are currently the largest active boy group in the industry and are on the way to making Big Hit Entertainment--their parent company--millions more this year. You should at least know the basics,” she said, staring holes into Levy.

“R-right,” Levy said, her stomach dropping.

“Well, that’s the whole point, right?” Eddie spoke up. “Getting to know these idols from a fresh perspective? She’ll learn as she goes.”

“As I go?”

The three editors shared a nervous look with one another, KeoHyun smiling even wider but Felecia walked away to stand at the back of the office as Eddie continued.

“We have decided to put you on the assignment, Ms. Carlisle. We were so impressed with your idea and-and the last interview you helped conduct with Shohei. Plus you already have a rapport with Wonwoo and--”

“Wonwoo. You want me and Shohei to work with him?”

“Well, him this week and the other members of the Hip Hop Unit the following weeks. Other teams will cover the Vocal and Performance units. Seventeen is broken into units, by the way. You’ll learn. Do some basic research this weekend so you’re prepared.”

“Prepared? I-I don’t understand. Am I being treated as a journalist...and not just a photographer?”

KeoHyun and Eddie shared a look again and KeoHyun shrugged. “You can think of this as your first tentative assignment.”

“B-but, sir, certainly there are other more qualified people who could--”

“You’re right,” Felecia said from behind her. “There are.” The clicking of her heels intensified as she stomped across the floor to stand in front of Levy again. “So it would be wise of you to not mess up this golden opportunity. Chances like this are so very...rare, _Levi_.”

“It’s _Levy_ , ma’am. And thank you for the advice.” Levy then turned back to KeoHyun and Eddie. “I’ll do my best. I won’t embarrass the company.”

“Why would you say that? Nobody even said--” Eddie began but Keohyun cut him off. 

“We know you won’t, Levy.” He then stood and shook her hand, directing her to the door. Levy gave each of them another nod and left, her thoughts racing at 100 miles an hour. 

Keohyun closed the door behind her and looked at each of his colleagues. “So are we really not going to tell her _he_ requested this?”

Eddie shrugged and said, “I don’t see why it matters.”

“What if he has other intentions, Eddie?” KeoHyun insisted.

“No...I doubt that. He’s not like _Seungri_ or anything.”

Keohyun cocked his head to the side and sighed. “Eddie…”

“Don’t fuss at me. I don’t know,” Eddie whined and pouted at Keohyun, a move he knew always worked on the soft-hearted man. “I’m just following orders. If it makes you feel better we’ll send Axle as her photographer.”

“No,” Felecia said. “I need Axle on another project in Western Music. Besides,” she said heading for the door. “He requested only her.”

“We’re going to make her do the work of a journalist _and_ a camera operator?” Keohyun asked, clearly aghast.

Felecia shrugged as she reached for the doorknob. “He demanded she go alone, we’ll make sure she goes alone. Since he’s _clearly_ the boss.” She wrenched the door open and swiftly exited, leaving the two men behind her speechless in her chilly wake.

  
  
  



End file.
